Cats and Dogs
by Miss-Nami-Shiawase
Summary: I remembered this pair from years ago and they're so perfect! A series of one-shots to honor this adorable couple. I take requests, please review, and Isinia is more or less irrelevant in these. Enjoy the love of Kat Manx and Doggie Cruger - I wish there were more fics for this couple!
1. Event

_Cats and Dogs – Event_

Doggie fiddles with his cuffs while muttering under his breath. He hasn't had to deal with the damned things in decades, no less for presentation in front of a crowd. He feels ridiculous, though it could be worse: he could have to wear a tuxedo as opposed to his current dress uniform.

"Ready?"

The Sirian doesn't look up to acknowledge the visitor but simply bobs his head and continues to try and fasten the cuff link. "Just about... "

"Here, stubborn dog," Kat smiles fondly as she goes to help with her significantly smaller claws.

"I am as stubborn as you'll admit to being," Cruger mutters back with equal affection in his voice. When he finally looks up at her he does a double take. He raises what he has for eyebrows and lets his jaw hang open a little.

"What?" Kat feels a bit self–conscious under his intense stare. Her dress is black, running to floor and only exposing her lean calves through a slit, highlighting the silvery shoes she wears. Her hair has been done so it's straight to a point, then curls in towards her face; of course her ears still stick out. She thought she looked okay, but Cruger continues to stare mercilessly. "Is there something on my face, or what?"

"Y–you look... " Cruger experiences a surprising shortage of words in his mouth. "I... "

"I'll choose to take that as a good thing," Kat suffices to say with a smile, taking his arm by the crook of his elbow.

The ball has been set up by Birdy to help gain some funding for the department from some its more wealthy supporters. The benefactors are scattered about the ballroom like sheep in a field while the officers of SPD are formally announced and applauded in entrance. Each officer requires an escort i.e a date. Obviously this lead to Cruger and Kat going together.

Kat stops on the stairs: they're third in line for entrance. She does a final check, making sure Cruger's collar is straight and the gold buttons are shining in contrast with the rich black fabric. Once that is done she runs her claws through her own hair a bit nervously. She has never had this big a deal made over her, and the concept is as uncomfortable for her to think about as the thought of when her last "date" was.

Cruger is still trying to think of a proper description of the degree of Kat's beauty.

"Cadets Carson and Delgado!"

"Kat," Cruger begins but the commotion has her too worked up. "Don't be nervous."

"Cadets Tate and Drew!"

"Here we go," Kat says as she grips his arm tighter. He places his paw over her hand so naturally neither notice until a moment later.

"Commander Cruger and Dr. Manx!"

As Cruger steps out with Kat on his arm there are audible gasps heard around the room. All the eyes in the room shoot to Kat, even his own. They begin their descent down the centered staircase. Kat gathers her dress in her left hand while her right remains at his elbow, delicately. Her movements are more graceful than normal and she looks like a specter of elegance. Her fangs are dazzling and her eyes, glittering. Once they reach the bottom of the stairs she's all smiles, at ease in her skin once more. She plays red–carpet exceptionally well for a laboratory worker.

"See?—I told you it wouldn't be so bad," says Kat.

"I suppose you're right, Kat," he sighs in resignation, but not without a smile.

Some superiors approach and Cruger knows this will consume a great amount of the immediate future. Finally able to coin Kat he places his paw over her hand again to capture her attention and whispers into her pointed ear: "Your beauty is...radial, Katherine."

And with a subtle kiss to her cheek with the lips of his muzzle he resumes his normal position, hand behind his back and eyes forward. Kat, absorbing what has happened, blushes delicately and resumes her normal position: firmly by his side.


	2. Home Cooking

_Cats and Dogs – Home Cooking_

Kat stands at the stove in the superior officers' lounge. It's a nice break from the cafeteria, when generic tuna salad just won't do. So, she cooks some yellow tail in a frying pan with some garlic and a special sauce she doesn't describe to untrusted ears. The activity is calming for her. A humming/purring escapes her throat.`

"Enjoying the domesticity, Kat?" Cruger asks kindly from the door.

"Hey, Doggie," she greets sweetly in return. "Want some?"

"I always love your cooking," Cruger takes two plates and some cutlery from the kitchenette and sets them on the small table. "Yellow tail?—garlic—Kat sauce?"

"Your nose never fails."

They eat in amicable silence, savoring the food with minimal small talk between bites. Doggie makes satisfactory noises as he enjoys the meal—the only time he gets food not from the cafeteria is either when Kat cooks or brings him back a doggy bag (how he loathes that term) from eating out.

"Kat, that was delicious as always," Doggie compliments, licking his muzzle in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Doggie," Kat smiles shyly at the compliment. She stands and takes his plate from him.

"Let me take care of those, Kat," Cruger says as he stands to tower over her. When she's not in heeled boots in only serves to emphasize their height difference – discounting the height of his ears – and his impressive physique adds to the effect.

"Oh, no, Doggie, I've got it." Before Kat can protest he has taken the towel from her shoulder and positions himself at her left.

"You wash, I'll dry and put away."

The two develop a rhythm, working in comfortable silence with well developed synchronicity. Their presences serve to balance each other, making the air of the room a sweet, mellow aura. Kat smiles as she washes the dishes from the meal and its preparation. Doggie dries them swiftly and puts them away.

At one point he places a hand on her hip to still her, reaching behind and above her to put away his personal bowl on the top shelf. He notices Kat's rigidity and smiles to himself. When he leaves their closest proximity she resumes washing, but her movements betray her nerves. She hands him the last plate slowly, as if it will break this beautiful spell of calm. He takes it with the same care, in a way, showing that he also treasures this peace with her.

Kat moves to take the towel but before she can he is already drying her hands for her. The movements are so tender her heart melts and thuds at the same time. He keeps his eyes on her hands, feminine and delicate. When he's done drying them he continues to hold them in his paws for a second before rolling her lab coat sleeves down, one at a time. He brushes the wrinkles out of them and takes her hands again. The tip of his muzzle is perilously close to her lips. So close that she can't resist leaning forward. Her lips meet the slight lip curvature of his muzzle sweetly. When she leans back her heart pounds in her ears and her cheeks are dusted pink. As she pulls away he leans forward, kissing her just as gently, tentatively. They meet together for one final kiss, savoring each other as their lips part torturously. Once they part this moment will go unacknowledged as a whole. They will smile and remember, but now, it is the pure bliss and harmony of the moment that makes Kat smile with all her heart, and find Cruger doing the same.


	3. Command

_Cats and Dogs – Command_

There is a reason Anubis Cruger is a revered commander, and as Kat watches him spar with cadets, she dares anyone to disagree. He is a skilled fighter, but also shows control and restraint. However, this is not what caught Kat's attention. She knew he was strong before now. No, now, her ears twitch heatedly because Cruger wears nothing but a tight fitting black t–shirt and cargo pants. His largely clawed back paws are planted firmly on the ground while his front paws are at the ready.

Kat's eyes are dilated an embarrassing amount but she has never truly watched the Commander fight this closely. It's...enthralling, watching him in action in such an intimate way. As his toned arms flex in movement her ears perk so high they probably rival the angle of Cruger's, and that Batman fellow's. She knows she's watching too closely for being his head technician but she can't look away—in a literal sense, she can't seem to physically command herself to move.

Some girls come in from a water break, giggling, unaware of Kat, seated in the gallery. Their whispers are only slightly discernable to the Felina until one states more loudly: "I had no idea Commander Cruger was so fine!"

Kat's brows furrow a tiny bit.

"I know, he's hot...y'know, for a big, blue dog–thing," says the other.

Kat's brows furrow a little more.

"Do you think he's... " the sentence trails off euphemistically.

Kat's brows knit together in frustration.

After a moment the sentence is continued: "You know...packing?"

"Don't you have training to do, cadets?!" Kat doesn't know why that came out so bitter.

"Dr. Manx!" the two snap to elbow–salute before going down. A final note is heard, "wonder if he does doggy style."

"Go!" Kat knows the ferocity in her voice betrays her. The anger in her words is joined by her own embarrassment and a tinge of jealousy. "The nerve of them, eyeing my Commander... " Kat frowns to herself, reminding her brain that he's _everyone's_ Commander..._THE_ Commander.

The felinoid woman continues to watch, though the two female cadets join back in the fight. Kat can't help but scowl every time they approach him, grinning. Her rangers are in there too, doing the most, if it can be considered that, against him. She herself has never fought him and really has no desire to... The thought of being pinned by his warm, rippling body comes unbidden to her mind... She shakes her head violently to force the thought away, heart thundering and cheeks becoming uncomfortably hot.

When she next looks up all the cadets seem to have had enough save B–Squad. However, Cruger raises a hand, signaling the end of the match. They elbow–salute to him and stand at attention, smiles on their faces. Cruger walks to the wall and presses the intercom button. Kat hears the buzz and then his voice: "Kat, would you bring me my coat, please, we're done here."

Katherine jumps up a little too quickly and might have tripped over herself if not for her enhanced reflexes. She's quite glad the gallery window is mirrored glass. She takes the coat and drapes it over her arm with the care fit of a king. '_He almost is one,_' she muses. When she arrives she sucks in some air involuntarily. Her eyes are met with the sight of his bare, muscled back. Although he can't sweat, condensation from the cool air runs down the rivets between his individual scales. Kat's slitted pupils turn large again, and she gulps. She tries to approach as normal but as soon he turns around her eyes are glued to his muscled front. Her gaze is more blank than anything, admiring the sections of his abs and the bulges of his biceps. Her face is still flushed and her ears raise in pleasure.

Cruger thanks her and puts the long coat on in a dignified fashion.

Kat feels drool collect on her bottom lip. She licks it without thinking. Somewhere in her mind she realizes it's just herself, Cruger and the rangers now, but it doesn't lessen her embarrassment at her actions. She can't help it, though, running mainly on pheramones and Cruger's surprising magnetism. Rangers Pink and Yellow are trying not to laugh at Kat as the woman's eyes continue to follow him out of the room as he dismisses them with a wave. They're all aware of how her eyes have drifted to where his hypothetical tail would be.

The rangers file out past her respectfully addressing her as ma'am before exiting. Kat doesn't dare meet any of their eyes, aware that the impropriety of her actions is off the charts. As the memory of shirtless Cruger comes to her mind's eye she can't bring herself to care.


	4. Birds, Cats and Heroes

_Cats and Dogs – Birds, Cats and Heroes_

"I don't know what you were thinking, Commander Cruger, but you better show better instincts than that in the future or I have half a mind to pull your rank and demote you back to the academy!"

Fowler Birdy has been chewing out Cruger for a good ten minutes now, in front of Kat and his rangers. While Birdy squawks about Doggie's incompetence his followers have no choice but to listen to the dressing down in silent fury. Jack and Sky have matching scowls, itching to stand up for their commanding officer and comrade. Syd looks down, upset while Bridge doesn't know where to look. Z is caught partway between looking at Birdy with contempt and at Kat with awe.

Kat's face has been slowly descending into unfathomable anger.

Soon Z is joined by Syd, then Bridge, and then the last two males. Their ears still hear Birdy but they are focused solely on the wrath Kat sends to the screen image of the bird with her eyes. Her fangs are bared angrily and if one listens extra closely, one might hear feline growling. The rangers continue to watch as her breathing increases. Her grip on her digi–pad tightens and turns her knuckles white. The normally sparkling green eyes, friendly and kind, are dark and steely. The pupils are like single slits made by a knife. She has had to listen to him before, but...

Katherine is livid.

"I should hope your command over earth SPD doesn't lead to its fall, like that of—"

Before Birdy can complete the horribly audacious sentence Kat is in front of the seated Cruger, face as dark as the day her home was destroyed. If there is one thing Katherine Manx will not tolerate, it's insult to her Commanding officer's integrity. Dare to insult Commander Anubis Cruger, you face the rage of Doctor Katherine Manx.

"Birdy, you shut that beak before I beam myself up and shut it for you!" Kat's voice has a rasp to it that betrays her underlying hisses. Her hair stands slightly on end, as an earth cat's fur does when alarmed or angry. Her grip on the console is so tight the steel is beginning to dent under her extended claws.

"Doctor Manx, you are out of line!" Birdy caws angrily, feathers properly ruffled by the Felina. The two look like any earth bird and cat facing off. As much as he wants to bring down the hammer and fire her then and there the ferocity of the Felina prevents him from it.

"You're out of line, Fowler, talking to Cruger like that! He is more of a commander than you could hope to be, and the fact that you would stoop so low as to even _think_ of mentioning Sirius is inexcusable! You might be Supreme Commander but I will lay down my badge and all fourteen of my degrees before I let you slander the name of Anubis Cruger! You dare to say anything else negative and I'll go so far above your head I'll be able to hold your scrawny, feathered neck in my teeth!"

Bridge breaks some tension by turning to his teammates and mouthing '_fourteen degrees?_' Kat seethes, baring her fangs in emphasis. This seems to have shut Birdy up, as he simply stares at her, astonished. "Well, Fowler, go on, say something!" Her eyes darken again and her voice is cold like ice. "I dare you."

Birdy breathes for a moment before starting calmly. "I apologize, Cruger, Doctor Manx is right—I crossed a line and I apologize. I hope to see better from you in the future but this is all from today. However," Birdy looks to Kat, who doesn't waver in the least, "you, Doctor, _will_ learn to speak to a commanding officer. Birdy, out."

The screen goes black and no one dares to breathe for a moment. Kat's form is still stiff with anger, shoulders arched and claws still out. Cruger sits behind her silently, though he smiles, impressed, grateful, and flattered by her devotion to him. The rangers stand below, awkwardly.

"Fourteen degrees?" Bridge asks, characteristically breaking the tension.

Kat turns and the stress oozes out of her as she smiles at him with a small laugh. "Yes, Bridge, I have fourteen degrees in the scientific fields."

"But—what—how—" Only Bridge speaks but the others are silently wondering with him.

"Rangers, dismissed," says Cruger.

They smile and elbow–salute dutifully. Once out, Kat turns to Cruger. "Are you okay?"

"Am I—my head technician just chewed out my commanding officer for me with the ferocity of a thousand suns." Cruger chuckles deeply in his throat. Kat ducks her head shyly and tucks a curl out of her eyes. "Thank you, Kat, for having my back, as they say."

Kat smiles up to her old friend. "Any time, Doggie."

"Although, I do admit, I would love to see you have Birdy by the neck."

The two share in a healthy, hardy laugh at that. They delight in the mental image. Kat clears her throat. "That might have been a little overboard."

"I rather enjoyed it, you stubborn little kitten." Cruger smirks having turned Kat's term for him unto her. The smirk only grows when Kat glowers up at him. "In fact, you're even worse than I am, because I never verbally attacked a superior officer."

"Well, he had it coming!" Kat protests in her defense, and his. "I couldn't just let him talk to you like that. The rangers weren't in a position to protest so I stepped up!"

"That you did, and your dedication to me will always be dear to my heart, Katherine," it's said with a profound note, final, but not dark or sad. His smile radiates warmth.

Kat just stares up at him, the same unspoken adoration in his eyes mirrored and intensified in hers. "I dedicate myself to those worthy—warriors, protectors...true heroes."

"So, no overstuffed pelicans," Cruger chuckles, getting a chuckle out of her too. Her words continue to ring within him, though. In an attempt to express how gravely he appreciates her words and her as a whole, he embraces her. As he leans over her, it's unnatural but wonderful. She fits against him nicely, he notes. His arms encircle her easily. One paw rests on her shoulder and the other on her waist. She places her hands over both. "Katherine... "

"I know," she says. Words aren't needed. "Me too."


	5. Gossip

_Cats and Dogs – Gossip_

Kat Manx has excellent hearing, so it's no wonder she hears almost everything that happens in her hallway. Her ability to overhear rivals even the canine Commander's, so you can imagine the level of stupidity required to gossip around her lab door.

The way to tell if Katherine is listening is to watch her ears: if they twitch or move in any way, she can hear you. They're twitching right now, actually, as some particularly nosy cadets seem to have knighted her lab's hall as the gossip chain destination. Kat growls to herself; for some reason, she and the Commander always seem to fit into their little theories.

"I heard they've been friends for, like, decades."

_Fairly true_, thinks Kat, though the length of time is not entirely on the dot.

"I heard she's his best friend."

"I heard she's his _only_ friend."

Kat charges to her door and is in the corridor before it can open completely. Her eyes read brimstone but the cadets are too startled by her ninja level appearance to notice. "You should have better things to do than gossip outside my lab, cadets."

The youngsters scramble away, ducking and spluttering apologies. However, Kat's ears pick up another talkative group approaching.

"I heard they're more than friends, if you know what I mean."

All Kat has to do is glare in their direction to send them on their way.

"One theory is that she wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the Cruger," says one cadet, and Kat might have let it be, but he continues. "A Kat in the lab and a fox in the bedroom!"

Katherine hisses in this cadet's direction and he slips, crawling away from her and then actually running to save his life. The cadets around him bow in apology and follow suit. Although her lips are still twitching, her outward anger subsides. She lets it sit on the back burner and goes back inside her lab.

"What's wrong, Kat?" Boom asks in his innocence, tangled in wires but concerned.

"It's nothing, Boom," Kat's response is measured, but sufficient. She only gets back to her work for a minute, though, before the voices outside start up again.

"Cruger told that new doctor that Manx is off limits, as in totally all his."

Kat's eyebrows quirk and this is more concerning than the rest: this is why Felix won't make eye contact with her if the Commander's lurking around. One day she heard Felix hum the theme to Jaws as Cruger came skulking down the halls.

"I saw one of the trainers checking out her ass one day and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen him around here since."

Kat has no idea what they're talking about, but Cruger wouldn't fire someone just for looking at her backside (let's face it, it's pretty great).

"She looks at him like he's a ball of yarn."

Now, Kat has the grace to look embarrassed. The remark is ridiculous, though...she has never looked at a ball of yarn the way she looks at Cruger. A ball of yarn...how absurd...

"What are you doing out here?!"

Kat bites her lip immediately, finding the vibrato in the rough, deep voice deliciously familiar. It does nothing to help her flustered appearance but it is comforting. The rumbling of a low growl cuts through to her core and she feels herself tingling all over. Damn, he is sexy.

"Doctor Manx is a busy woman and she deserves more respect than to have you gossiping outside her laboratory. So, unless you have valuable information on her research into quantum engineering I suggest you shut your yammering muzzles and find something contributing to do! Dis–MISSED!"

Kat's heart melts in her chest as a warm smile crosses her face. Once in a while she's willing to let Doggie be the alpha male and fight for her honor. He has always been good at looking out for her. She doesn't notice Boom noticing her and sinking down behind his current project to give the two some privacy.

"The nerve of some of these humans," Cruger grumbles to himself, shaking his head. He enters Kat's lab like his own quarters and immediately joins her at her console. "How is everything, Miss Manx?"

Kat smiles; he has always made a point of calling her Miss or Doctor Manx whenever he thinks someone might be around. "No one's here, Doggie, you can drop the formality."

He chuckles, giving her the benefit of the doubt. She doesn't call him Doggie unless they're alone, or she's trying to undermine him so he won't scare everyone into resignation from the force. "All right, Kat, what's up?"

"Well, I'm working on a time warp issue regarding the stability of Sam's time portals," Cat's pupils change in size as she examines the complicated expressions on her screen, though her slightly bored expression betrays the lack of her effort it requires.

"I see—I hope the cadets outside haven't been bothering you," says Cruger.

Kat's left ear twitches once and they both know it's a definite answer. "I don't know why all the kids seem to think my hallway is the one they can use as the grape vine."

"As the what?"

"It's an expression, how they get all their rumors and such," Kat says, shutting down the screen and turning her full attention towards him. "So, what brings you down to my lab, Doggie?"

"I need an excuse to see an old friend?" Cruger smiles again. He has been doing that much more of late, even if Kat's the only one who can tell he's smiling. Sometimes it can be counted as a smile if he's simply not scowling at the moment.

"No, but you never come down just for the sake of it," Kat teases in return.

"Well, actually, gossip is what has brought me here." When Doggie turns bashful Kat's ears perk. He notes her attention on him and continues. "One cadet asked me if you and Cadet Carson were in a relationship."

"Me and Bridge?!" Kat can't help but laugh as the words come out. No offense to Bridge, he's sweet, but she's...an adult?...his superior...an adult? "Aren't I a little too old for him?"

"Actually, I told the rangers how old you were back when I was explaining the history of their parents," Cruger offers casually. "They thought you were 25 by a stretch, 30 by exaggeration."

"Flattering," she drawls in an undertone with a smile. "You didn't tell them my birthday, did you?"

"No, I have no desire to incur the wrath I suffered when Boom tried to make you a cake last year."

"It was a sweet gesture, I just wish it hadn't blown up the lab in its progress," Kat seats herself on her chair. "So, you really came down here to ask if Bridge and I were a thing?"

"A...thing?"

"It's another expression, Doggie, it means to be a couple," Kat rushes out. "We have to work on your English figures of speech."

"My English is fine," he answers in Sirian, a choppy, rough, barking series of syllables.

"Fine isn't perrrrrr–fect," Kat counters in her own Felinae tongue, smoother and softer.

As the two laugh, Boom makes a confused expression to himself from his hiding place.

"I'll leave you to your work then, Kat," Cruger finishes laughing.

"All right, but it was nice to see you just to see you," Kat stands and catches his eye just before he leaves. "You should visit for fun more often."

"I would like to, Kat," he pauses once more with his back to her. "You can come out now, Boom."

When the Commander has left Boom rises from the floor in an attempt to be surreptitious, though he only manages to draw more of Kat's attention to him. "I wanted to give you guys some, uh, privacy."

"Why, it's just the Commander?" Kat vocalizes, though her mind is teasing her by asking '_but he has never been _just_ the Commander, has he?_'

"Well, you guys have these...moments, and I hate to intrude." Boom looks up at his mentor with adoration, admiration, and just a hint of a smile. "Besides, you really do look at him the way earth cats look at yarn."

Kat stutters, failing miserably in finding a decent retort. In her brain's floundering she only manages to snap, "Wh—I—n—get to work, Boom!"

The light haired man only smiles at his sister–like teacher as she sticks a pencil between her fangs, eyes darting around self–consciously.


	6. Virus

_Cats and Dogs – Virus_

"Cadets, how are you feeling?" Although Cruger's voice is level, it's more than clear he's irate, and maybe a bit concerned.

"Wep, it's kide of a longk story," Jack murmurs, horribly congested.

"You have the pneumonia crossed with the common cold," Kat supplies instead, coming back from her station with five bagged thermometers.

"Nod az longk as I thought, I guez," Jack sighs.

"You're all on bed rest," Kat then turns to Cruger with hardened eyes, "and you shouldn't even be here, since you haven't had your boosters yet."

"Dr. Manx, please," Cruger murmured, though he could see she wasn't going to budge on the matter. "Fine, just give me a few minutes with them?"

"Ten minutes, Doggie, or I'll give you the damn shots myself."

Upon Kat's exit Cruger sits down by the bed of the red ranger. "How are you feeling, cadets?"

"Beed bedder," Jack groaned.

"I understand. The truth is that you got this from the battle you fought today. Kat detected a pathogen there but because she didn't have it identified I sent you anyway. I apologize; I had no idea you would contract the flu." When Cruger finishes his story most of the rangers have sat up against their pillows, save Bridge, who looks absolutely dead to the world.

"Why don't you and Kat have it, if you've both been exposed too?" Z asked, without the chest congestion but having more of the stomach issues part of the illness.

"I have an advanced immune system, as does Kat, though they work in different ways. Mine is always active, but I need periodic white cell boosters to keep it functioning at its peak," says Cruger.

"Which Kat will drag you to in about nine minutes," puts in a fever ridden Syd.

"To which she will—" Bridge starts but is interrupted.

"Don't correct me!" Syd snaps, cranky from her condition. Sky raises a hand sharply, his only defense against his horrid migraine.

"Yes, she will, but Kat is immune for a different reason," the rangers turn their attention to Cruger again. "Kat's body is covered in a microbial layer of fur, able to repel any invading threat smaller than a pea. The fur is undetectable against her skin to all but a photon microscope, but it can repel mosquito bites, pathogens, and even most earth venoms. Kat has complete immunity to just about any virus on this planet."

"Just about?—then what does affect her?" asks Sky.

"There was one time about seven of your earth years ago when Kat contracted the poison of a rattlesnake. Most of its venom was dissolved against her fur but some of it did get into her system and it did make her violently ill for about a week. She was cleared after six days and it has remained irrelevant since."

Brige sits up now and looks at Cruger with glassy eyes. "Wait, Commander...how do you know Kat has a microscopic layer of fur over her skin?"

All eyes turn to him, inquisitive and almost a little accusative. "Yes, Commander, why?"

Cruger frowns a bit at them and shifts awkwardly. "I just know, okay!" When the answer doesn't suffice he sighs. "I know because of a Hazmatt shower we were forced to share one time. It was completely pointless, since the radiation couldn't get through my scales and Kat's fur protected her. That's how I know."

Although it seemed to pacify the overall curiosity Syd remains intrigued. "Really? She told you?' Cruger nods. "In a Hazmatt shower...did you look?"

"No!" Cruger snarls, heat rising imperceptibly to his cheeks. "Of course not!"

"No offense, sir, I know you're not that kind of guy, I'm just saying... " Syd makes some vague hand gestures in the air. "Any guy would be at least tempted. Right, Jack?"

Jack is asleep.

"See?" Syd smiles victoriously.

"That is not the point, Cadet Drew, and I think you're approaching a line, here," Cruger says firmly, trying to give her a warning in mercy for her ailment.

"Sorry, sir," Syd sighs, giving up her fangirl interrogation.

"Doggie!—time's up, and you are getting that booster shot." Kat comes in armed with a hypodermic needle large enough to spook a rhinoceros. She sees the cadets' alarmed looks. "This is the only level of syringe tough enough to pierce his neck."

"His neck?" Syd, Sky and Z look confused.

Kat pulls down her Commander's collar, finds the softer part of his neck where his scruff would have been as a pup, and stabs the needle base deep. The teens' shoulders jump, startled at the ferocity of the action. "There, now you won't need it again for another fifty years."

Cruger growls in response, scratching the slight itch from the needle. "Great... "

"Kat, what happened the time you had to share a Hazmatt shower with the Commander?" Syd asks with boldness and innocence in her voice.

Kat freezes and stares at Syd with a vaguely offended and completely bewildered look. "What?!"

"Commander Cruger was explaining that you have fur we can't see, but we wanted to know how he knew."

"Sydney, that never happened, you're hallucinating," Syd is slightly scared of the finality in Kat's tone. "Furthermore, as far as you're concerned, the only virus I've ever had to deal with personally is that of a computer, understood, cadet?"

Syd nods and watches as Kat basically hauls the Commander from his seat by his collar and storms out.

Kat looks up at Doggie, face tinted. "I can't believe you told them about the Arizona State incident."

"I didn't tell them anything but that we had a Hazmatt shower, and a useless one at that." Cruger protested in his defense against his young, small feline friend.

"Well..." Kat trails off and lowers her voice, "did you tell them what happened _in_ the shower?"

"No," Cruger also lowers his voice, remembering the incident well. "I told them neither of us saw anything."

"Good," and Kat veers off into her lab.

"Good," and Cruger veers into his office.


	7. Hope

_Cats and Dogs – Hope_

Everyone is on edge waiting for Cruger to get out of surgery. The rangers sit anxiously, barely daring to breathe. The OR light has been lit for a straight four hours and, according to the resident who came to inform them, will be for at least another three or four. Things are excruciating.

No one is more distraught than Dr. Katherine Manx. Although she technically has basic medical training, she is not a surgeon. Even if she were, she would be too connected to the case, and forbidden from operating. Now, she's just a biochemical engineer, stuck doing nothing as her friend fights for his life. She can do nothing but pace and bite at her near unbreakable claws. There's nothing she can do but wait and hope.

Jack clenches his fists tightly, anxiety running through his whole body. He wishes he had been able to help—had been able to stop Cruger from getting slashed while demorphed. Sky wishes a similar thing, standing at attention because he can't think straight enough to do anything else. Bridge is standing on his head, only getting down when he fears he might pass out without a break. If only there were a solution to be found, but there isn't. Syd cries quietly, trying to force herself to be silent, to be strong. Z bounces her leg testily; she has already done her praying, now she can only wait.

Kat sits with her back to the rangers now, on her knees. She remains there for a good five to ten minutes, before standing. After pacing a bit more, she sits down again, this time cross legged. Another ten minutes pass. She paces some more.

Z watches this carefully. She's confused as to what the older woman is doing. When Kat leaves she's worried, but soon the Felina returns, something in her hands. On closer look, it's an incense pot, already smoking. Kat sets it down and sits in front of it, back to them again. Z thinks she should mind her own business. She thinks that no one has more of a right to be worried than Kat. She thinks Kat could be hysterical if she weren't so...Kat. She thinks that Kat is desperate for hope.

The cycle continues and soon more and more little things join the incense burner. A couple of statues join it, as well as food tributes and even bunches of fabric. Kat's brow is beginning to redden with stress, sometimes glistening after a particularly long period of chanting to herself in her corner. Finally, she comes in with a single candle, lights it, and begins muttering to herself again. She knows the rangers don't know what she's doing and she doesn't care. She doesn't care what she has to do.

Z lets out what can only be described as a heartbroken gasp.

"What?" Jack asks with worry.

"She's praying," the gravity of her realization hits the team hard. They all gaze on to Kat, praying intensely. "She's praying to every god she knows."

Kat's concentration is broken when she hears the muffled foot steps of sneakers behind the OR doors. She's up before the light can ding. The candle is extinguished in her wake. She goes straight past the rangers and just stares at the resident with a cold, hard glare. Her eyes are sharp, but dark and red rimmed.

The rangers look on helplessly, but as Kat smiles at the resident they let out a collaborative sigh of relief. They watch as Boom catches Kat before she can fall, easing her down to her knees as she cries uncontrollably. Her smile, though, assures them that there's no longer anything to fear. Kat gasps and laughs at the same tame, saying "thank you" over and over into Boom's chest.

Jack punches the air to relieve some of his stress. Bridge falls to his knees with a smile. Syd starts crying unashamedly and is embraced by Sky, who also lets tears fall, shielded by blond hair. Z also lets some tears fall, feeling as if the wind has been knocked out of her. They all listen as the resident tells them that Cruger will need to rest, and that his Sirian genetics have saved his life. She says that he will have a two week requirement of recovery before he can even go back to his own quarters, but he will be all right. Kat thanks the resident, who seems entirely happy too reply in return. The rangers all begin cheering, though Kat is still trying to stop crying from happiness.

Z breaks away first and looks at Kat's small collection of religious idols. They're all from earth, and Z can guess that religion is an earth thing more than an alien one. Still, she goes over and moves the candle gently, with respect. As she pushes it to sit with the other objects she offers a nod, "Thank you...all...for looking out for our Commander, and our friend, Kat."


	8. Undercover

_Cats and Dogs – Undercover_

"Hey, Piggy, who's the broad?"

Cruger listens intently with slight fury brewing in him. The image on the screen is troubling to say the least. Not only is Kat's outfit disturbingly...sparse, but she's also in the direct (unprotected) proximity of a bomb. This bomb is intended to wipe out the command center, which means it's powerful enough to vaporize anything alive. Kat has been sent for the job because she's the only officer on the force with undercover training who can also disarm a bomb with nothing but a screw, a toothpick, and a shoelace.

"Hey, girl's gotta mak'a livin', ah?" Kat snarks in a thick, fake, New York, Brooklyn accent. There's no gum in her mouth, but her large and loud chomping noise sells it well. Her ears are concealed under her hair, not curled like normal, but mussed beyond shapely recognition. "Now, ca'we move'is show on the road?—I gotta be at Lexington–Brooke Ave. in an houwa."

The rangers, sitting with Cruger, surveying the scene, are equally unsettled. Kat's persona is so unlike herself it's hard to not cringe and laugh at the same time. They're on standby, in case anything goes wrong. Counting on Piggy to be their undercover liaison has them on edge on top of their unease over the bomb.

"Whatever," one of the traders says from behind dark glasses. "This bomb is strong enough to destroy SPD command center and vaporize anyone therein or around for a one mile radius."

"Good, good, tha's cool," Piggy says nervously. "So, uh, let me have it, ah? I know the rangers, I can get the bomb into the building."

"Payment, Piggy," the other trader, equally mysterious, commands.

Piggy nervously hands over the digi–pad full of fake security codes, created by Boom. He tries not to look nervously at Kat, who is playing the part eerily well. She stands next to him, smacking her imaginary gum and looking bored. His eyes do wander to her legs, long and fully displayed in her short skirt. Her midriff remains equally uncovered, though her naturally beautiful face is covered in awful makeup, mostly to cover the Felina spots on her cheeks. "There y'go, boys."

"Well done," the traders look at Kat briefly, who raises her eyebrows at them sassily. "We'll detonate remotely at fourteen hundred hours."

"Cool, cool," Piggy nods sketchily. "I'll, uh, see you later, then."

"Don't contact us. We'll coordinate after detonation to make sure things are...cleaned up." The two traders leave without looking back.

"Okay, come on, then...whore," Piggy says with a level of awkwardness exceeding even Bridge's record.

"Eyes on the prize, Piggy, get that bomb deactivated," Cruger interrupts through his headset, frustration _completely_ unrelated to Piggy calling Kat a whore.

"Commander, I need to get it to a more stable location. Its plating is armed with a double glass sensory layer. If I don't open it in exactly the right way it'll start countdown." Kat says, once again herself, if a bit cold in her lack of clothes.

"All right, Kat; Piggy, get her to a safe location where she can work. Wait outside and guard it so she's not disturbed," commands Cruger.

"Yes, sir," Piggy says, still uncomfortable.

Piggy takes Kat back to a warehouse he frequents for some alone time, and more often, parties. He sets the bomb down on the office floor and stands outside, leaving the woman to work. "So, Cruger, how y'doin'?"

"No small talk!" Cruger barks into the headset, startling everyone.

"Relax, Doggie, it's a walk in the park from here," Kat says reassuringly into her own mic, hidden in her thick, dark locks.

Cruger smiles, though he can't see her through the camera they have on Piggy. He does, however, see the traders coming back. "Piggy, what are they back here for?"

"I–I dunno!" Piggy says, panicking.

"Piggy, relax, don't look so nervous," Kat says from inside the office, using a bobby pin to carefully pry away the sealant in the seams of the bomb's shell.

"Piggy, are you alone?" The trader asks, coming up to him imposingly.

"Yeah, yeah, alone," Piggy stutters, wringing his hands.

The rangers and Cruger twitch in frustration. Now, if Kat does get discovered, it could cause even more problems. Cruger growls, "rangers, stand by for dispatch."

Kat, hearing the commotion, hides the bomb in a desk drawer and goes into the bathroom connected to the office. She knows this can't be good, and as she hears one of the traders asking why he's standing outside the office she rolls her eyes. Quickly enough, she strips down to her undergarments, flushes the toilet and gets ready for the performance of her lifetime.

"What was that?!" Trader A asks dangerously.

"Uh..."

Piggy doesn't get the chance to fail at answering as Kat waltzes out of the office, back in character. She slips a hand over Piggy's grimy coat and smiles at the traders. She winks; "Come back fu'the show, fellas? Ya might be able t'afford fron'row seats but gettin' in's gonna quost ya some'in awful."

Everyone's jaws fall to the ground surprise. Cruger feels his blood boil at the sight, though how and at exactly what part of the scene is conflicting. B–Squad feels equally muddled over the development, though they have to applaud Kat for quick thinking. Unsure of where to look they focus on the task at hand, though Boom has turned beet red and is unable to look at his mentor in such a state of undress.

When Piggy's eyes and the camera attached to his fur(?) remain on Kat's chest Cruger barks, "Piggy, focus!"

"Ma'am, you need to vacate the area," says Trader B.

"Cummon, this SPD blowup thing soun's like a swee'deal. I cou'get outta the business. So, wha's it gonna take for you boys ta lemme in on th'secret?" Kat looks at them with enticing eyes, looking to get a confession out of them on record.

"No can do."

"Pleeeeease?—s'just li'l old me," Kat approaches Trader A and walks her fingers up his chest. "I'll make it worth y'while. What'ja got 'gainst SPD anyway?"

Trader A pauses a moment. "They'll pay for fighting against the Troobian Empire."

Cruger cringes; he had heard of Troobian rebels in New–Tech, but he hadn't seen them until now. "Kat, get out of there."

"Aw, so ya gonna blow it ta smith'rines, nice!" Kat begins chewing nonexistent gum again and sways her hips as she goes back to Piggy's side. "You guys work for Grumm hi'self?"

"Higher up, ma'am. We all are vowed to serve—"

Trader B stops Trader A from saying anything more. "How do you know of Emperor Grumm?"

"Who don't? Cummon, s'basic knowledge, eh?" Kat covers smoothly. "Mind not givin' me th'fou'th degree while'am standin' 'ere naked?"

"What did you guys need, anyway?" Piggy pushes on. When Trader B looks at him it's with scrutiny, and for quite a long time.

"We came back to tell you that when we detonate, you'll have ten minutes to make it a safe distance away. Your services might prove helpful again in the future, and we doubted you'd be smart enough to get out immediately once the bomb was planted." Trader B ignores Piggy's offense and turns to Kat. "Would you be interested in a job as intel for our rebellion?"

"Do I got gum in m'mouth?" Kat smirks, still chomping on air, and spits on her hand before shaking Trader B's. "This'll teach 'ose uptight coppas."

"Very well; we'll be in touch." The Traders wait for a moment.

Kat watches them suspiciously. Her muscles tense, ready to pounce, while Piggy shakes. "Gotta prob'um, guys?"

Traders A and B trade looks. They leave, though Trader A looks back at Kat, who has a bad feeling about this.

"All right, Piggy—"

"Kat, what's going on?" asks Cruger.

"Doggie, send in Bomb Division, now!" Kat's voice is on edge, worried.

"Kat, what has happened?!" Cruger asks bordering on frantic.

"They remote detonated while we were talking, I think they saw Piggy's camera. The timer has seven minutes on the clock." Kat's voice is harried but still stable as she pries the bomb open. "I might be able to stop the clock on time but there's no guarantee."

"Forget it, Kat, just get out of there!" Cruger stands now, eyes helpless.

"There are too many people in the area, we'd never evacuate the coverage span on time." Kat says calmly, working precisely but quickly on the inner workings. The bomb is complex, and one wrong move will disintegrate the district. "Doggie,"

"Hang on, Kat," Cruger's voice has turned quiet, pleading desperately in a whisper.

"Doggie, if—"

"There is no if, Kat."

"If I don't make it,"

"I said no!"

"I—"

Cruger stands as some muffled garble is heard. Piggy's camera shorts out and they lose all connection. "Kat?...Kat!...KATHERINE!"

B–Squad holds their breath. Jack is on his feet, waiting for a sign.

"Katherine Manx, answer me!" Doggie roars.

Static is his only answer.

Cruger crushes the headset in his paw like it's a toothpick. His fangs are bared in full and he can feel the salty tears in the corners of his eyes. Somewhere in his mind he knows Sky has called in BD to Kat's location but it means nothing to him at the moment. All he can think about is the horror of having to find Kat's body...or lack thereof. The pain of the thought that he has lost Kat tears at him horribly.

A buzzing comes. Then some scratching. A coming in frequency sounds. It's a radio station. Then, an exterior SPD base. Then some more garbled mess. Then a click. "Doggie, come in; it's me, Kat!"

"Kat!" Doggie shamelessly rips the headset off Boom, who nearly loses an eye in the process. "I thought—"

"Sorry, I used the wire from mine and Piggy's communicators to short out the current connected to the detonator. There was a backup charge I had to short out with Piggy's camera, and there was a small explosion, but it only took out the west corner of the warehouse. Bomb Division should be here soon, awaiting your commands."

Cruger blinks his tears away and smiles. "Excellent work, Dr. Manx."

Kat gets a visual through, apparently with a plain old cell phone. "There we go; thanks, Doggie. Piggy here did his part too."

As Piggy comes into the picture Cruger straightens his face. "Piggy, thank you for your services; SPD will reward you for your work."

"Good, 'cause this was way more stressful than you said it would be," Piggy says crankily.

"Anyway, sir, threat neutralized, but rangers should come on scene. The traders headed west to the next district. I can text message their last known coordinates and direction." Kat lowers the camera to text, wiping some soot and the makeup off her face with the back of her hand. She shivers.

"Piggy, give her your damn coat!" Cruger commands. The rangers are unused to hearing him curse in any way.

"Actually, sir, I'd rather not touch that...thing. It's a bit, uh, dirty." Again, Piggy's offense goes unheeded. "Coordinates, sent, I can hear Bomb Division; relax, Doggie, this mission was a success." Kat shivers again as a wind blows through.

Doggie is out the door before anyone can blink.

It takes him a matter of two minutes to get to them with his speed. He sees Kat (and Piggy) on approach. In one smooth, jumping motion, he lands in front of Kat, depositing his Commander's coat over her tiny frame. It encircles her like a cloak and he lands between her and Piggy. Bomb Division arrives seconds later, as Cruger is chewing Piggy out for letting Kat go through this.

"Doggie, give him a break, he did well!" Kat tries to defend Piggy, but she can't see a thing past Cruger's back.

"Bomb Division Squad A, sir!" A man in black salutes to Cruger.

"Good, here's the rest of the bomb," Kat bends and hands him a horrible mess of scrap metal and wires, having to fiddle with the oversized sleeve. Her hand looks like a child's in comparison.

"Thank you, Dr. Manx. Why are you wearing Commander Cruger's coat?" Another man in black asks.

"Because I am unclothed underneath," Kat says with such a deadpan, straight face it's a bit hilarious.

When Bomb Division's eyes linger on her in question, as if trying to decipher a puzzle, Cruger clears his throat. "Thank you Bomb Division, for your assistance."

"Sir!—we'll take this to evidence," BD snaps to elbow–salute Cruger and leaves.

Kat sighs, tired from the day's work. Cruger's coat is much warmer than what she had on, but it's so much larger than her body it weighs on her heavily. "Doggie, can I just go back to base? Thank you, for your coat, but I'd love to put on some proper clothes," she says, gesturing to how his coat hangs on her like an adult's button down on a five year old.

Cruger picks Kat up bridal style, gently, and speeds back to base. He carries her like a precious treasure. She nuzzles his chest tiredly, enjoying the wind in her hair and the warmth of his body. They arrive back at base and Doggie takes her right to her quarters. He even stands dutifully outside as she gets changed. When she emerges, she's once again her immaculate self, and has even folded his coat perfectly.

"Ah, thank you; I feel like myself again," she sighs.

"The rangers quite enjoyed your little show," Cruger smiles widely as blushes. She bites her lip cutely, looking embarrassed. "It was quite the performance."

"I am never going to live this down, and that outfit was...ridiculous!" Kat blusters, waving her hands around her (once again properly curled) hair.

"Nonetheless, you've accomplished something few else could have. You performed a great service to earth as SPD," Cruger's compliment is so formal, yet so profound, Kat is astonished. After a moment of gratitude filled silence he speaks again: "What did you want to tell me?"

"I'm sorry?" Kat tilts her head and moves her ears.

"Before your mic shorted out you were about to tell me something. You..." Cruger lets himself trail off to encourage her to finish for him.

"Oh, oh—that, yeah, um, I, uh..." Kat looks down sheepishly, trying to find a way out of her confession. "I don't remember that."

Cruger raises his version of an eyebrow at her. "Kat, you know better than that."

Kat hangs her head in defeat and yowls in displeasure. "It's nothing, Doggie, just forget it."

"Katherine," he scolds lightly. "You can tell me."

Kat blushes scarlet from one pointy ear to the other, the pink tips looking conspicuous against her dark hair. "I...was going to say...that I... "

"Hey, Kat, I'm glad you're okay!" Boom rushes up and hugs her tightly.

"Thanks, Boom," Kat wheezes from his painfully tight grip.

"Welcome back!" Boom shouts, continuing on his way. "By the way, super hot bod!"

Kat's entire face turns a red rivaling Jack's uniform and Cruger turns: "BOOOOOM!"


	9. Two to Tango

_Cats and Dogs – It Takes Two_

Kat and Cruger are both sitting in his office, working in each other's company. At least, they should be, if only they could focus. Kat is massaging her temples in frustration while Cruger tenses tighter and tighter. Their ears are twitching furiously. Kat sighs, "That's it, I'm ending this—it's ridiculous."

Kat pulls up the morphers' communication window and beeps Z. When the brunette's face appears Kat is stern but not unfriendly. "Z, you need to turn down that infernal music."

"Come on, Kat, there's no way you can hear this," Z somewhat gestures to the stereo behind her, in her room.

"There is, _Elizabeth_, and I want you to stop it. You can put your headphones in by all means but it's distracting to the Commander and I," Kat's finely shaped brows arch enough to show her displeasure.

"Will do, sorry, guys," Z shrugs and signs off.

Kat slouches back into her chair and runs a hand through her curls. "That's a relief."

"What was that racket, anyway?" Cruger frowns deeply.

"Some pop song, why?" Kat looks at him oddly.

"Why in the world was it all...synthesized? I remember the days when music had a melody to it," Cruger mutters to himself, betraying his age. "I'm not asking for the days of the waltz, but something less...aggravating, would be a nice improvement."

"I know what you mean," Kat shakes her head. She's not exactly up–to–date on the music of the day either, but she's further into their era than he is. "Have you found any music from the last few decades you like?"

"It's not exactly a priority of mine, Kat," Cruger says dryly as he raises an eyebrow ridge.

"Hey, I _know_ you used to play the Sirian flute," Kat smiles slyly as Cruger looks like he's been caught in headlights. A Sirian flute is pretty weird, though, like a cross between a flute and a guitar, if you can imagine that...no?...me neither.

"And you, Miss Manx, played piano," Cruger turns to face her fully.

"Yeah, I kinda miss it sometimes," Kat notes offhand.

"Why don't you start playing again?" he asks.

"I never found the time to get a piano to base. I still listen to some music, though. I do miss playing," she smiles at the thought. Something about the rhythm makes her feel vibrant. She used to learn the most elaborate pieces her nimble fingers could handle just for the thrill of it. It was good for her brain—both sides.

"Do you still love tango pieces?"

Kat looks at him and he's on his paws. He presses a button and a lively samba comes from the console. She smiles at him slyly and fits herself to him like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. They begin in rhythm, moving together so easily it was like they were born for it—for each other. Kat feels her heart accelerate as fire lights under her skin where he touches her. The breath out of his muzzle is hot and wet, but comforting. She breathes in his scent and continues their movements naturally. "How long has it been since we've done this?"

"At least as long as B–Squad got rooms on our floor," Cruger grumbles.

Kat laughs a little, "then it has been too long."

Back in her room, Z looks confused as a Latin sounding song comes to her ears. She rolls her eyes and sighs, "and they told me to turn my music down...hypocrites."


	10. Broken

_Cats and Dogs – Broken_

"Isinia!"

The female Sirian stops almost out of the exit hangar of command. She didn't want to go out the main entrance and attract attention to herself, and her suitcase. When she turns, she sees a tearful and angry Katherine Manx. "Doctor Manx... "

"Mrs. Cruger," Kat addresses, trying to calm herself. "Please, please don't... "

"There's nothing more to be said, Katherine, it's done." Isinia refers to the fact that she is leaving for one of Sirius' extension stars this evening, not to return.

"Please, please don't...leave him." Kat sniffles and tries to keep herself from crying. She's angry that the Sirian would consider leaving her husband after so much; she's angry that there's probably nothing she herself can do about it. Most of all, she's heartbroken for her dearest friend. "He has been so...broken, since he thought... Just, please, don't do this to him."

Isinia looks at the Felina, who also lost everything to the Troobians. She sees a young woman, crying in desperation for her friend. "Katherine, can you honestly tell me that you have never had romantic feelings for my husband?"

Kat looks at her solidly. "Anubis Cruger is my best friend, the friend I love most in the world, and a true hero."

"That does not answer the question, Katherine," Isinia knows the Felina will neither admit nor deny it. "Either way, it's like I said: what's done is done."

"No!—I don't accept it! How could you do this to him?! How could you know how his heart has been so broken, only healing through decades, and now break it again?! How could you break his heart?!" Kat's angry shouts are choked with the tightness of crying.

"I am not breaking it, Katherine, nor is he, mine. Our hearts are fine, just not each other's anymore."

Kat stops at Isinia's strange words. "I don't understand."

Isinia sets her bag down and sighs, giving up her cold front. "Neither do I, Katherine. Maybe...maybe we were fooling ourselves, thinking that the time spent apart would disappear if only we could get each other back. In a way, I think we expected to pick up where we left off, but it's not that simple. We're different people from who we were then. I've been through things I can't ever say to his face. Years of isolation has chilled the man I once knew; he's distant, and has so much trouble opening up."

"He can—he will! Just...give him time. Ease him into it," Kat pleads.

Isinia smiles gently and chuckles, "Katherine, you know this Anubis much better than I. That being said, you should know that there's no changing him. He'll never admit this isn't working, but we both know our marriage cannot carry on like this—like we're strangers. He would do anything to convince me he loves me, and have me stay."

"He does love you!"

"Not like he loves you."

Kat freezes like a statue at Isinia. "N–no, no...he doesn't, we're friends. He's my best friend and you are his _wife_!"

"I was; now, we are like old friends. I will always hold him dear to my heart, but we are no longer lovers, or mates. We don't look at each other the same way, or talk like we used to." Isinia shakes her head tiredly.

"But you love each other, and that—"

"Sometimes that is just not enough," Isinia persists, tiring of arguing with the young woman.

"That's just an excuse to give up! You can't quit on each other! Doggie has been through hell, torturing himself over how he lost you, thinking of impossible scenarios in which he could have saved you! He has been..._so_...broken..." Kat finally breaks down, crying. "He's so broken..."

"Which is why you have to fix him, and you're already well on your way." Isinia smiles. "I am too broken...I can't be the one to do it."

Kat looks up at the blue scaled woman. "He loves you. He _loves YOU_! Why can't you stand by his side through this?!"

Isinia lets the brunette rage at her. '_You have stood by him through much worse than this, and you will stand by him until and beyond the grave, Katherine. That is your place, now._'

"He needs you! You're supposed to be together until the day you die!" Kat stomps her foot childishly so as not to explode from pent up frustration. "Is it me?!—I'll go! I'll leave and never look back if you don't leave him! Just don't leave him!"

Katherine's shouts hit Isinia hard, but it's not enough. Isinia goes to Kat and puts a paw on her shoulder. "But you could never do that. You could do it for his sake, but you wouldn't do that to him. He needs you far more than he needs me, and losing you would kill him. We both know you could never do that to him."

Kat sniffles pitifully and looks at Isinia's eyes, her own stinging and red. "Please...please don't leave him."

"I have to, Katherine, for both of our sakes." When Isinia sees Kat's lost look she continues. "It has been so long we don't know how to be married anymore. We speak with difficulty. He can't be who he used to be, he's too unused to me now. We're uncomfortable and cold. I keep thinking he'll be the same Anubis as he was before Grumm but you know he will never be the same as before that."

Kat looks at the ground, pain ripping her heart apart bit by bit. "You'll break him."

"I won't," Isinia laughs ironically, "but even if I did, you can fix him."

"It should be you," says Kat.

"But he wants it to be you," Isinia rebukes. "He is happy with you. The only time I see him happy – truly happy – is when he is with you, and the children. This is what he needs, not a reminder of that day."

"Isinia, I can't let you walk out on him." Kat's voice is strong, adamant and resolved. "I won't let you walk out on him!"

"You will if you want what's best for him. We both knew this was coming, he hasn't tried to deny it. This is for the best."

So, Isinia continues out of the hangar and doesn't look back. She doesn't cry, but she can hear the anguished wails of Katherine Manx long after the command center is out of sight.

Kat remains in the hangar, trying not to fall to the ground as she imagines trying to tell Doggie the news. Boom, watching on, calls the only person he knows can comfort her. "Commander Cruger, you should come down here."

Kat next realizes she's in Doggie's arms, bawling. Her guilt overwhelms her. "I'm sorry!...I–I tr–tried! I tried so hard! I'm sorry!"

"Sh, now; it's okay. I know you did, Katherine. It'll be all right. We'll get through this. It's not your fault...it's not your fault." Doggie soothes Kat's sobbing, trying to ease her pain by stroking her hair. "I promise, it's not your fault, my love."


	11. Enjoyment

_Cats and Dogs – Enjoyment_

The team decides to go to the beach. They have driven out to the nearest natural beach, covered in sand heated with the sun. Towels, blankets, picnic baskets and one huge umbrella are set up in record time.

Jack whips off his shirt and immediately runs along the sand in his trunks, overly zealous about the day off. While Bridge joins him, Sky walks after them calmly in comical contrast. Z and Syd lie out on their towels, in no hurry to do anything but lie in the sun. Syd wears huge, fashionable sun glasses as Z applies copious amounts of sun screen. While the blond is there to tan, the brunette is there to nap.

Kat and Cruger watch "their kids" with amused grins. Cruger recognized that the B–Squad has earned a break, but was dragged along on such a break by Kat. Kat, who now wears a light yellow sun dress and large hat with holes cut out for her ears. She looks lovely. Cruger remains in his commander's coat. Kat frowns upon this, "You're seriously gonna wear that the whole time we're here?" He nods.

Fifteen minutes later, Kat lies out under her own parasol, protecting her ivory skin. She wears a conservative white string bikini, but keeps the hat on (trying to preserve the 21 year appearance at 147, you know).Doggie, however, is not faring as well, panting horribly. With his lack of sweat glands, he can only try to pant the heat out. She turns to him, "Doggie, please take off that coat. We are at the beach, it is well into the 80s and I know you have swim trunks, because I bought them for you. Now, you're going to take that coat off, cool down, and join your rangers in their volleyball game."

Doggie stares at the Felina, who finishes her speech and lies back in her beach chair. Her legs are crossed as she reads a scientific journal through her sleek sunglasses. The tips of her ears are visible out the rim of her hat on the top. She looks...hot. Not in the sense of the word, but she looks delectable. He reaches and takes her sunglasses right off her face. At her confused look he smiles. "If I'm going to enjoy this day outdoors, so are you, Doctor Manx."

"I am enjoying it!" Kat protests in earnest, waving the report packet on quantum neutrinos and their newest developments on looping technology in the Zentarian sector. "I have plenty to read, the air is refreshing, and I can smell fish wherever the wind blows—I'm good!"

"Come on," as Cruger stands he has Kat's hand enclosed in his paw firmly. He lets go only to take his jacket off.

Kat can't resist staring at him. She has seen him shirtless before, and that almost gave her a heart attack. Now, under the blazing sun, with an average pair of swimming shorts sitting fairly low on his hips, her knees might give out. There's no hair to be found on him save the coarse fur at the top of his head. Kat's eyes roam from his clawed back paws, up his strong legs, lingering slightly on a certain region of his trunks, then continuing up over his hips to his abs, then finally to his face. By the time she meets his eyes she's flushed in the face and looking sheepish. He just smiles and continues to take her over to the rangers by the hand.

Jack notices them first and gestures without pointing. The rest turn and smile and wave, but once they're facing Jack again they all show shock. Syd squeals silently and Z smirks. Bridge seems vaguely confused while Sky shows no registering of anything strange. "They're holding hands."

"They're totally in love!" Syd whispers while jumping around.

"Syd, relax, you're gonna blow our cover," Jack prompts, not wanting to make the love–birds self–conscious.

"Cadets, may we join you?" Cruger asks seriously.

"Of course, sir!" Jack answers happily, tossing him the ball, which Cruger catches seamlessly. "Team preference?"

"Why don't you all test your luck against Kat and I?" Cruger asks with a smirk so small only Kat can see it.

"You're not serious, sir, that wouldn't be fair," Sky says, frowning.

"Well, if you don't think your training is enough for you to beat a technician and a stubborn old dog, we won't make you go through with the humiliation." Kat's fangs gleam in the sun with her taunts. Her hip is cocked with attitude as she examines her finely maintained claws.

"You know what?—you're on."

In 45 minutes, Jack is on his last legs, Sky is sweating profusely, Bridge holds up a finger for a breather, Z is kicking sand, holding her sides in pain and Syd has long ago given up. Now, she sits on the sidelines, laughing. Cruger stands still with the ball in his paws, giving the rangers a break. Kat stands next to him, hip still cocked. The two are smirking smugly.

"Come on, cadets, we trained you better than this. You should be able to at least get more than two points. Our combined ages equal four times yours combined!" Cruger laughs more heartily than he has in decades.

"Don't tell them that!" Kat protests in displeasure, especially seeing the rangers look between themselves, trying to figure out how that's possible. "We age differently than you, remember that."

"I knew...we had...a disadvantage...against a cat. I did _not_ know...we would have this much trouble...with a big, blue dog!" Jack wheezes.

"No offense intended, sir!" Sky gets out, also struggling to catch his breath.

"None taken, Cadet Tate. I actually feel better than I've felt in years. Who's up for round two?" He smiles enough to show his large white fangs, spinning the ball atop his claw. After a second, though, it pops. "Oh...my apologies."

"Nah, s'cool, DC, I'm done anyway," Z waves off as she limps over to Syd, ankles screaming in protest. "Gaaaahhhh!"

"See why I decided to sit out? I could have told you that there was no way you could beat Cruger and Kat, but...oh...oh, no...no, wait—I did!" Syd smiles brightly at her slightly irate friend.

"I'm going for a swim!" Bridge declares loudly.

"Good idea!"

Soon, everyone is in the water, cooling off. The boys, feeling much better than before, are beginning to rough house as usual. Sky tries to control them but Syd jumps on his back, forcing them both down into the blue. Z, however, uses her duplicates to start a water fight with Jack and herself. Syd joins in, on Bridge's shoulder since Sky refuses to join in. He sits in the water and judges, apparently having a referee whistle he seems to have been born with. He's a little too good at using it, too, so Z manages to get him in on it with one of her duplicates.

Cruger watches with Kat onshore. Kat is not big on swimming for fun, and just watches in contentment. Cruger is seated beside her with his arms crossed and face straight. "You really have no desire to join them?"

"None," she dead pans, though her smile is still evident. "I'm just glad they're having a good time. In a way, I think Boom should have come with us."

"Kat, you know he's on probation for lighting your lab coat on fire," Cruger says sternly.

"Yes, I know, but it really was an accident," she looks up at him with big eyes.

"Of course it was, I just don't want it to happen again," Cruger says seriously still with his arms crossed. At least he hasn't put his coat back on. "Still, this day was made entirely worth it, seeing the rangers struggle so hard against us in volleyball."

Kat laughs out loud. "That was pretty great."

"Indeed," Cruger says as he finally lies back against his own beach chair. He extends his legs and relaxes his thickly muscled shoulders. "Indeed... "

"Do you know what made every minute of this day worth it for me?" Kat looks over to him and touches his cheek, forcing his soulful eyes to meet her glittering ones—her loving ones. "Seeing you, _so_ happy. Seeing you so at peace, and relaxed, and so well after all these years. Just...seeing you happy, makes everything _so_ worth it for me."

Cruger takes her hand in his paw and looks back at her with the same love. He guides the one palm to the lips of his muzzle. "And your happiness makes everything worth it to me, Katherine."

The two remain in the romantic position, unwilling to break away for several moments. Eventually, they lean back, though Cruger still holds Kat's hand to his chest in his paw. Kat smiles coquettishly at Cruger and makes the decision to lie her head against his shoulder. Doggie makes the decision to lie his head against hers. "Today was nice, Doggie. Promise me you'll do things like this more often, and not just for the rangers but for yourself."

"All right, Kat, I promise." Cruger's tone indicates that does indeed take it seriously.

"Good," is all Kat says as she snuggles into him and begins to purr.

B–Squad watches on with small, secretive smiles.

"I think they're sweet," Syd comments gently, seriously, rather than in a tizzy.

"I think they're good for each other," Z agrees.

"I think they're gross," Bridge makes a face. When everyone frowns at him he shrugs. "How do they kiss?—he doesn't have lips!"

Sky just pushes the green ranger over into the water.


	12. Doggy Style

_Cats and Dogs – Doggy Style_

The B–Squad is coming out of the day's physical training.

"Man, fighting Cruger never gets any easier," Jack sighs tired and annoyed.

"He does have, like, a million years more fighting experience than us," Z puts in as she plunks herself down in a chair with a water bottle.

"Not quite a million, Cadet, but you are improving," Cruger chuckles.

"Man, DC, you fight hard," Z cringes.

"Yeah, I mean, I haven't taken a beating like that out of the field since...hm..."

Everyone basically ignores Bridge as he goes off into a continuous stream of consciousness.

"Guys, it's Commander Cruger's job to fight in full capacity in training, to prepare us for the field," Sky says flatly.

"Teacher's pet," Syd grumbles behind him with a towel on her shoulders.

"You're just mad you got flattened," Bridge points out, done with his musings. "Not that we didn't."

"Fear not, Cadets, today wasn't bad at all. In a couple years you might be able to fight me without the aid of four other people," Cruger teases sardonically before heading out.

"Man, that was brutal," Z groans.

"He was pretty intense today," Syd agrees.

"Yeah, he just come out and started taking names!—Doggie style!"

The group begins to laugh, chorusing "that's what she said" as Bridge holds his head in embarrassment and mutters "my bad". Their laughs continue on at Bridge's expense until they notice Kat enter the room. "Hey, Kat!"

"What's Doggie style?" she asks obliviously, getting a fresh cup of coffee.

Everyone freezes; no one wants to be the one to explain it to her. The guys shift on their feet nervously while the girls shake their heads violently at each other, neither wanting to be the one to tell her. Syd speaks up, "you've never heard of it?"

"No, what is it?" Kat furrows her brows and sips her coffee. She looks at the teens curiously. At everyone's looks of uncomfortableness and hesitation she's more confused. "What?—what's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, I, uh, was thinking, maybe you should ask the Commander what it is? It sounds like the kind of thing he'd know about," says Bridge. It isn't until Kat shrugs and heads out that he's smacked upside the head.

"Bridge!"

"What?" he asks innocently.

Kat is already on her way to Cruger's office. She enters without knocking, knowing she never has to. He's sitting at his desk, going over cadet files. "Doggie?"

"What do you need, Kat?" he asks, immediately turning his attention on her.

"Do you know what doggy style is?" she asks.

"Doggy style? Spelled like my name or that infernal term for restaurant leftover containers?" Cruger asks, folding his arms.

"I don't know, but B–Squad was talking about it. Apparently it's quite funny but they wouldn't explain it to me," Kat frowns. It's quite uncommon for her to find something earthly she hasn't learned of.

"I'm not sure. Why don't we look it up on the Google?" Cruger suggests.

"Right," Kat takes his seat and accesses the outside network browsers on the fiberop. screen. "Doggy...style... "

Cruger looks over her shoulder as she clicks on the first result. The eyebrows of both shoot up significantly as they find out what it is. Cruger cringes in embarrassment and Kat flushes from head to toe. The images on the screen don't help anything. When the article goes into incredible detail Kat closes the window and stares ahead blankly in shock.

"That... "

"I... "

"This must never be spoken of again," says Cruger.

"Agreed!" Kat squeaks all too quickly and shoots up out of the chair. The two hurry to the door, eager to forget what has happened.

Bridge is walking by when they come out. "Hey, Kat—Cruger teach you what doggy style is yet?"

Kat blushes intensely and immediately veers off into her lab, in such a rush she almost walks right through the door before it opens completely. Cruger, left to stand there awkwardly, stares Bridge down, "Caded Carson, you are never to utter that term ever again, understand?"

"Yes, sir," Bridge murmurs, shirking away. Once out of Cruger's earshot he murmurs, "guess they found out what it is."


	13. Paper Cut

_Cats and Dogs – Paper Cut_

Kat rarely uses the paper records they have in case systems get hacked or fail. She prefers her computer systems (which she coordinated herself) to the old school files, but Cruger wants the new cadet files digitized before going into storage. Kat sighs to herself, flipping through the papers uninterestedly. "These should all be in the systems...why can't Bridge or Boom do this?"

"Why can't I do what?" Boom asks, frowning.

"Oh, nothing, Boom, I'm just updating the cyber records. Cruger got the new batch of files and he wants them to be typed up before going into storage," Kat mumbles. Her ears move once in a while amidst the jungle of dark curls on her head. Sometimes they pick up sounds in the halls. At one point, she can hear the familiar tip–tapping of claws and paw pads on the hall floors.

"Oh, I see, boss man crackin' down, eh?" Boom smirks, though Kat's dry expression is enough to silence him on the matter.

The door hisses as it opens and reveals the seven foot Sirian called Cruger. "Kat, how are those reports coming?"

"Fine, Doggie, just fi—mreow!" Kat makes a strangled meowing sound in anger.

"What?" Cruger asks in worry.

"Paper cut," Kat says in annoyance.

Cruger smiles at her in sympathy. "Here, let me help."

"Oh, Doggie, that's..." Kat trails off as Doggie's tongue encircles her finger gently. Her eyes go wide, eyebrows go up and jaw goes down. A blush creeps across her face until it reaches the tips of her perked ears. The feeling of his hot, wet tongue on her flesh sends her mind into a flurry, igniting all her senses at once. Every synapse in her brain is going off like fireworks. She tries to form coherent words but no thoughts are cohesive beyond 'Doggie' and 'tongue'.

Cruger's Sirian saliva heals the cut almost instantaneously. He inspects it before pulling away. "Is that better?"

Kat just nods. Fortunately enough, Cruger leaves not a moment later to check on B–Squad, leaving Katherine to work through her haze. Her face still flushed, she blinks to clear her mind. She sighs, then lets out a light giggling noise. "Wow... "

"Hey, Kat, what's got you all hot and bothered under the collar?" Boom asks, not thinking about his choice of words in the least. When she looks at him, panicked, cheeks rosy red, Boom nods. "Boss man—got'cha!"

Kat tries to protest but makes a stuttering noise instead. She begins drumming her claws on her console station, wildly going through the last few minutes' events in her mind. This goes on for several minutes until her screen beeps.

"Sydney, what's going on?," she greets, clearing her throat nervously.

"Hi, Kat, I was just wondering when the Commander was getting here," says the blond.

"I, uh, have...um...Commander Doggie—Cruger!—has the..." Kat struggles with the sentences in her brain. She was flustered before and now Syd's eyes bore into her.

"Kat, what's going on? Cat got your tongue?" While Syd laughs at her own joke Kat's face ignites like a torch at the word tongue. "Cruger got your fur ruffled?"

"I'msorryIhavetogoconsultonsome thinggoodbye!" Kat rushes before signing out hurriedly. She sighs and smiles at the memory of Cruger's tongue, still able to feel it; she shivers.

Boom chuckles to himself at his mentor's uncharacteristic behavior. As much as it grossed him out, it was kind of a sweet moment. He just never wants to see Cruger's tongue ever again.


	14. Freezing

_Cats and Dogs – Freezing_

The command center lost all power 17 and a half hours ago, due to rolling blackouts on their coastline. The storms have knocked out all heat, water and electricity. While everyone was evacuated due to the slowly descending temperatures, Cruger volunteered to be the one to stay behind and contact supreme command. Although he was able to persuade his rangers to leave, as his alien blood would serve him well in the below freezing climate, Kat also remained. Cruger tried his very hardest to get her to leave but she won the argument with one point: she is the only one who is able to restore all running technological functions to the base from the interior.

However, that was a contact–less 17 hours and 45 minutes ago.

Now, the rangers are working with Boom to restore power to the command center from the outside power channels. They're worried, and frustrated with Birdy pestering them, and tired, but most of all they're cold! The temperature is frigid and what's worse is that it will be no warmer in the command base until the power has been restored for a good twenty minutes.

"Come on, Boom, how much longer?" Jack asks while jumping from one foot to another. He is quite unused to all this snow.

"Don't rush me, man! This is a delicate procedure and I don't have Kat's eyes to see all the teeny tiny bits for me!" Boom, dressed for the ice age, is also tired and cranky.

"Guys, stop arguing, we need to get to Cruger and Kat!" Syd shouts over the harsh winds and her pink, fuzzy earmuffs.

"They're probably frozen by now anyway! It's been below freezing in there for fourteen hours now!" Bridge says, though Z smacks the back of his head for it. "What?!"

"We can't assume anything until we actually go in and check for them," Sky says authoritatively.

"Okay, I got it! The full heat will be up again in twenty minutes." Boom watches on as B–Squad rushes into the base for their friends. "Please, be okay."

"Where would they be?" Z asks as she rubs her arms up and down through her yellow coat. "Where would you be?"

"I'd be up high to get all the heat I could," Sky puts in while thinking carefully. "Cruger's quarters are on the second top floor of the building."

B–Squad rushes as much as they can. There's frost encroaching everywhere, covering the metallic elements of the base, and most of the floors. The trip up to Cruger's room is like molasses, and filled with tense silence. Their chattering jaws help fill some of the empty silence. When they do reach the right floor they head straight to Cruger's room, only to find the keypad frozen.

"What now?" asks Syd.

"This," Jack supplies before simply smashing the pad with his elbow. It sparks a few times before the door opens. "I didn't actually know if that would work."

"Commander?—Dr. Manx?" Sky calls in.

When their blue ranger stops just through the door the team joins him and stops also. The two bodies in the bed are covered in multiple blankets, but show no signs of movement. Frost is everywhere in the room, including on the blankets and the bits of dark curls sticking out of the top.

"Oh, no," Z breathes, devastation in her voice. "We're too late."

"No, no, no," Syd sniffles and feels her tears begin to freeze on their way down her cheeks.

"Damn," Jack shakes his head, the end tips of his dreads sticking out of his hat.

"Hey, wait," says Bridge.

When they look back an ear twitches. There's an audible cracking of ice crystal as it moves a few times before twitching, irritated. The head of dark hair attached to the ears moves as well. Some frost shakes out of it, the light layer of pre–snow falling off. A feminine hand sneaks up only to pull the blanket up further and disappears again.

"Kat?!"

The head turns their way, but only its top and two pointed ears are visible. The body under the blanket wiggles up until the top part of her face is visible. She blinks away her sleep and lets out a yawn that sounds like a kitten's. "Rangers?...I take it you got the power working again."

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Syd makes to run over and hug her friend but as Kat rises from the bed, she stops.

It's clear that Cruger is still asleep, but alive. Kat seems to be lying/sitting between his legs. As she sits up, clutching the many blankets to her form it's clear that she's completely naked. When Cruger stirs a bit they can see that he is also naked. The boys turn away in respect to the woman with bare shoulders. "Yes, we were able to maintain our body heat thanks to the Commander's Sirian blood temperature."

"Thank goodness," Syd giggles nervously, avoiding eye contact. Z chuckles a little.

A low grumbling comes from Cruger as he sits up, bare chested. He is as groggy as Kat is, but aware of what's happening. "Well done, rangers. I'm proud of you for beating this cold front and working to get the command center working again."

"Thank you, sir," Sky thanks him, scratching the back of his neck but still not looking in their direction. "We'll leave the two of you to, uh, get... "

"Warmed up," Z puts in quickly before rushing everyone out.

Kat watches them go and rubs at her eyes in a swiping motion. She does the same to the back of her ears. "You okay?"

"Yes, you?" Cruger asks, cracking his thick neck.

"Mm," Kat says with a pleased tone, especially glad to have him sitting up against her chilled bare back. "Power won't be back up for another twenty minutes or so. Go back to sleep, Doggie."

As the two lie back again, Kat on top of his firm torso, they snuggle up. Doggie sniffs Kat's hair and, by instinct, ends up peppering wet–nose–kisses over the speckles on her cheeks. Kat, by instinct, ends up nudging him for more, purring loudly. "Should we tell them how we _really_ kept our body heat for 14 hours in below freezing weather?"

"If they find out, they find out," Cruger supplies gruffly before stroking her hair and drifting off.


	15. Ears

_Cats and Dogs – Ears_

Bridge and Boom are playing with fire. Not literally, but figuratively. They're tampering with some dangerous potentials in their experiment. It all started when they were discussing ears, and got on the subject of Kat's and the Commander's. Bridge claimed that Kat's are much cooler looking. Bridge protested that the Commander's look like Batman's.

Now, they're watching how they move. Every few minutes, Boom will make a noise, making Kat's ears twitch in registering it. Then, Bridge will make a noise, making Cruger's change in angle, but still stand up straight like ramrods. Bridge's argument is that Kat's just seem more...mobile. Bridge says that Cruger's ears can clearly...move, just...don't.

Kat and Cruger work beside each other silently, but not discontented. If there's one annoying thing, it's the fact that Boom and Bridge both seem to have frogs in their throats. Every once in a while, one or the other will make some irritating cough or throat clearing. A moment ago, Bridge had a single hiccup. It's getting weird.

"Achoo!" Boom fakes a sneeze.

Kat's ears twitch in the direction of it.

Another couple minutes and Bridge clicks his tongue against the top of his mouth.

Cruger's right ear turns to face it before turning back.

When Boom coughs a few minutes later Kat slams down her clipboard, causing everyone to start. "What's going on, boys?"

"What do you mean, Kat?" Boom tries to ask innocently, but he has never been able to face down Kat's feline scrutiny without breaking into tears.

"What are you up to? Approximately every one to two minutes one of you will make some noise, then the other will. What's going on?" Kat folds her arms and looks at the two adolescents sternly. "Now!"

"Bridge and I are studying your ears!" Boom bursts under the pressure.

"My ears?" Kat frowns, feeling angry at the thought of being a test subject. Of course, her ears face more forward, looking angry in their own right.

"Not just yours, but both your guys' ears. I think yours are cooler 'cause they just are, but Bridge thinks Commander Cruger's are cooler because they're straight up, like Batman's." When Boom is done explaining Cruger's eyes are on him too. "Sir?"

"Who is Batman?" Cruger asks in his blatant ignorance of pop culture.

"Never mind, Doggie—you guys are watching our ears?" Kat's outward irritation increases and her ears betray this. "You realize we're your bosses?!"

The mad movement of Kat's ears in her state of unrest is amusing, if a little frightening. Although Cruger's are still straight, they move ever so slightly at Kat as she hisses through her teeth in impatience. When she snaps at them again his blue ears flatten a little in reaction.

"I'm sorry, Kat, we just think they're really cool!" Boom jumps up and goes straight over to Kat. Carefully, he reaches out to touch the velvety tips, tweaking them between his fingers as he pleases. He moves them up and down, like marionettes. "I mean they're so fun!"

Kat swats him away angrily, offended at the liberties taken with her ears. They flick twice in aggravation. "Don't ever touch my ears again if you want to live to see New Year's."

"Yes, ma'am," Boom answers sheepishly.

"Whereas I say that DC's ears are just awesome!" Bridge comes over but only looks at Cruger for a second before deciding actually touching his ears is a (very) bad idea. "They're blue and pretty sharp looking."

"Enough, both of you, out," Kat commands, pointing them out the lab door. When they've gone she growls lightly. Her ears press down against her hair. "Those boys... "

"Well," Cruger begins with one ear up and one towards Kat, "your ears are pretty cute."

Kat looks up at him with a sheepish smile, blushing slightly. "Actually, I always found it kind of funny how your ears always seem to be still. I know Sirian ears are always upright but yours are so...stationary."

"Stationary?" Cruger asks.

"Yeah, they almost never move." Kat moves closer to him, standing while he sits on a stool. This gives her the ideal height to reach out ant touch its edge. Cruger doesn't flinch, or even blink, though the ear stretches into her touch. As she begins stroking its base it moves into the petting further. "There it is!"

Kat begins scratching the back of the ear's base, gently but firmly, manicured claws running over the tiny scales in rhythm. "How's that?"

"Mmmmm," Cruger hums in acquiescence. Slowly, his arms unfold and he smiles widely. "Oh, Kat," his leg starts to bounce on the stool's rim.

Kat smirks as she continues scratching. He really is a stubborn old dog; he hasn't let her scratch his ears in years. It's nice to see him enjoying it now, though, especially since she knows exactly how good it feels. She could make a 'good boy' joke but she won't. She just moves her other hand to scratch behind both his ears in alternating motions. "Good?"

"Ooohhhhooohhhhhhohhhhh," Cruger's leg bounces more and if he had a tail, it would be wagging surely. His tongue hangs out his muzzle just a little (quite cutely, in Kat's opinion) and his eyes are shut in pure bliss. "Katherine...those fingers of yours... "

Kat smirks at her job well done.

"Remind me to let you do this more often," he grunts out. "So I can do it for you too."

"Mm," Kat hums, still enjoying scratching her old friend's ears.

In an hour, when Boom and Bridge return to apologize, they find Cruger, massaging Kat's neck with his fingers and scratching behind her ears with his thumbs(?). Kat is purring louder than Boom has ever heard, and Cruger is also smiling pleasantly, just for the sake of smiling. She leans into his touch and he moves his paws to her shoulders and back. His clawed paws travel lower and lower on her back until he scratches directly above where her hypothetical tail would be. Kat arches so much from the action she lifts herself almost off the chair. Her purring escalates into moans of pleasure: "Oooooh, Doggie... "

Boom is horrified, torn between protectively demanding Cruger unhand his mentor and bolting as fast as he can. Bridge looks more befuddled than anything. Both slowly back up towards the door again.

"Oooooh, yeeeaaahhh, Dooogggiieee," Kat moans. As his claws finish their work she lets out a satisfied 'mreow' and sinks back into the chair, knees weak. "You are good, y'know that?"

"So I'm told," Cruger chuckles into her hair, laying a kiss behind her ears and smelling her shampoo of honeycomb mix with her perfume of lilies. Then, he notices the door. Boom and Bridge are attempting to back out of it. "What?"

"Nothing, sir," Bridge chuckles before running out.

Boom looks at Kat with worry. "What did you...do?" he asks with slight disgust.

"I gave her a back rub," says Cruger.

"Well, next time make it...quieter."


	16. Overheard

_Cats and Dogs – Overheard_

For safety reasons and through design, the vents of Kat's lab go up through to the lobby. In essence, nothing dangerous can get up there, and you can only hear really loud things from them, like screams of terror, or explosions. That is, unless you are Commander Cruger, in which case you could hear a ladybug farting down there.

So, when Cruger hears Boom pestering Kat about something he pauses, hoping the young man isn't bothering Kat too much (he has the power to put a stop to that, you know). He considers that he might look odd just standing in the middle of the lobby, but he wants to hear this.

"Come on, Kat, admit!" Boom says joyously.

"Boom, there is nothing to admit!" Kat persists, finding Boom enjoying their quarrel a little too much. "And will you quiet down, I don't want—"

"Don't want Cruger hearing about your little crush on hi—"

"SSSSSHHHHHHHHH! Boom, hush up!" Kat's furious shushing is loud enough for average people to hear, although there's no one around...except Cruger. He can detect the slightly higher not in her voice she gets when she's embarrassed. "I...I don't...hush!"

"You don't just have a little crush on him," Boom's voice reflects a realization. "You're totally in love with him! You're a smitten kitten!"

The sound of Kat throwing something (maybe a clipboard) at Boom is heard. "Boom, you are THIS close to losing your paycheck this week!"

"Kat loves Cruger—Kat loves Cruger," Boom sings happily. "Come on, Kat, everyone knows you love him but him! There's no danger in just admitting it."

"I'm not listening," Kat sighs.

"You're seriously telling me you don't write about him in your diary, or doodle K&C inside little hearts on your physics notes?"

"Boom, I am not a child...and I don't have a diary," Kat says a little quieter now.

"If you did, though, he'd be in it." When Boom is answered with silence he takes it as an admission. "I knew it! Everyone knew it but now I know it too! That's gotta be an indicator to you, Kat: if even I know, it's pretty obvious."

Kat sighs, this time more in resignation than anger. "Yeah, well...it's not that easy."

"Kat, you're one of the bravest people I know, what could be so bad? Boom asks in earnest.

"We're best friends, Boom," Kat's voice drops in volume again and she sounds shy, "what if he doesn't like me like that?"

"You won't know until you ask, will you?" Boom retorts, sounding like the mature one for the first time in his life.

"Ugh, this is stupid; I am not in high school, I am a grown woman, this is ridiculous." Kat's tone is frustrated again and she's probably starting to bite at her claws.

"Yes, yes, it is, because he _soooooo_ obviously loves you too!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Kat asks before Boom can even finish his sentence.

"Duh, Kat, people don't just make this stuff up. He totally likes you too, it's, like, common knowledge," Boom shrugs. Kat spends a couple more seconds shifting nervously and Boom sighs. "Look, either you tell him, or I'll shout it so loud he'll have no choice but to hear it."

"Are you crazy?! I don't need this problem projected for all of the command center to hear, thank you!" Kat's exaggerated whisper becomes more of a hiss.

"Well, then, you go tell him, if he hasn't already overheard this from wherever he lurks when he's not ogling your butt."

Cruger shifts, embarrassed, only because the statement holds an inkling of truth in it.

"Boom!" Kat's voice is so high it's squeaky, meaning she's blushing fiercely.

Cruger chuckles and speeds down to the lab, arriving in two blinks of the human eye without a problem. He enters silently and smiles as Kat tries to wrestle his cell phone from him as he tries to text. Eventually, Kat pounces on him and pries the phone from him, immediately deleting whatever was being typed. Boom looks up and smiles broadly, "Hey, Commander Cruger, how's it going?"

"Very well, Boom," Cruger smiles in return. "Would you...?" Cruger nods at the door.

Boom nods with a wink and scurries out.

As Cruger comes in Kat stands still with her back to him, pretending to be absorbed in the book that's actually a catalogue of weapons images. "Kat?"

"Oh, hi, Doggie, what can I do for you?" She asks and smiles nervously.

"Actually, I wanted your advice on a consult of sorts." His use of professional terms has put her at ease again. "Well, there's a hypothesis that needs testing, but there's no way to get the experiment set up, even though the subject's more than willing. I'd like to get the theory out in the open, but it's a little complicated."

"Well, I'm happy to help, what do you need?" Kat asks easily.

"Is what I overheard upstairs true?"

All the color drains from Kat's already porcelain cheeks, making her speckles stand out more. After a moment its color comes back and then some. She buries her face in her palm as the entirety of her face to red, grumbling in mortification. "What did you hear, exactly?"

"Apparently my dear old friend has quite a crush on me, loves me, in fact, but doesn't think I return her feelings," Cruger is enjoying the adorableness of Kat's attempt to hide from him in her hand. "Know anything about this, Kat?"

Kat grumbles into her hand and still doesn't look at him. "Maybe," she squeaks an octave higher than normal.

"Well, what do you think?" Cruger pushes.

Kat sighs and shifts her hand away from her face, though she still doesn't look up at him. "What you heard...might...be...true."

"I see; well, I must take action at once," Cruger approaches and he watches her tense, ready to run in case things go south. Careful not to spook her, he pushes his nose into her view. When her head moves he moves closer to press his damp nose to her small, cute one. "I must say, this development in the hypothesis is most pleasing, Dr. Manx."

Kat lets out a small giggle and finally looks up at him. "I'm glad I could help attribute to your findings, Commander."

Doggie presses a soft kiss to her perfect pink lips and smiles. "I've never been so happy to overhear something."

Kat bites her lip, heart thudding loudly in her chest and she's sure he can hear it as well as she can. "I guess I have to thank Boom for this."

"Later," says Cruger as he collects another kiss, "later..."

Boom walks through the lobby, satisfied with his matchmaking skills, when he hears various moans, gasps and crashes coming from the lab vents.


	17. Thanksgiving

_Cats and Dogs - Thanks_

"I'm thankful for buttery toast!" Bridge wiggles his fingers enthusiastically to emphasize his love for the simplistic meal. Even as they sit eating a Thanksgiving feast he has a large plate of toast sitting at his place with small bits of turkey and potatoes to go with it.

"We all know that," Z rolls her eyes fondly, scooping more stuffing for herself. "Just like we know that Syd is thankful for pink, Sky is thankful for regulation manuals, Jack is thankful for vacation days and I'm thankful that I have headphones to block out all of you."

"Very funny, sis," Jack smirks at the girl across from him. "Nice job on the food, by the way."

"What do you mean?" Z frowns.

"The dinner, you cooked it," Jack receives a frown and a head shake, "Syd?"

Sky comes the closest to laughing any of them have ever really seen from him. "Syd?—please, she can't even make Bridge's toast without setting RIC on fire."

"Then who—?"

"Enjoying yourselves, rangers?" Cruger smiles lightly. "Kat wanted to make sure you could celebrate the occasion properly, so she prepared this feast and set it out."

"Aw, Kat," Syd aw's with a mouth full of potatoes. "Why isn't she here with us?"

"I tried several times to convince her to come but she insisted that she had some work to finish. She even sent Boom home to his parents for the day." Cruger shakes his head in a classic Cruger way. "I wish she would let herself have a break."

"I have an idea," Z declares. She begins picking up bowls and plates. When everyone just looks confused she gestures with her head to follow. "Come on!"

Z leads the group down the halls, arms full of food. Everyone is loaded up with plates, even Cruger, who carries the large turkey and potato plates. "We're gonna make sure Kat joins in on the Thanksgiving spirit."

"By bringing it to her," Cruger finishes. He has a fondness for Z and her truly selfless nature. She reminds him a bit of Kat. "This is a truly noble gesture, Cadet Delgado; your father would be very proud."

"Thanks, sir," Z smiles back at him with a softness to her. The doors to Kat's lab swish open and she bursts in loudly. "Kat!—get out here!"

"What?!—what's wrong?!" Kat rushes out to see B–Squad and Cruger standing in the doorway with her feast in tow. Several seconds of silence pass, save when the doors try to close but just hit Bridge in the arm, making him spill some stuffing, much to Jack's dismay. "Rangers, what is this?"

"We're bringing Thanksgiving to you, y'workaholic nutjob," Jack smiles boldly and begins setting the bowls and plates down on the consoles. "You made us all this and you weren't even going to join us? That's just poor decorum, Kat."

Kat smiles sheepishly and shrugs, "I had things to do but you guys should enjoy the holiday."

"We have plenty to be thankful for, Kat, including you, and DC," Z goads while gently guiding Kat over to the table, hands on her shoulders. "Now, sit, and enjoy yourself for once."

"I told you this would happen," Cruger says to Kat smartly.

"All right, all right, stubborn dog, you've made your point," she smiles at him as he passes her the turkey. He pours her some wine and makes sure to give her more potatoes when she takes the smallest portions he has ever seen.

"So, Kat, what are you thankful for?" he asks with his wine glass raised, not that he really intends to drink much of it.

Kat looks at Doggie with warm love, and then looks at her rangers with the same affection. For all intents and purposes they're her kids, and her family. "I am thankful for all of you, as my family."

"Aw!" Syd coos again, effect ruined once again by the food in her mouth.

"Chew and swallow, Syd," Sky scolds lightly, though even he has a warm smile on.

"To family, then, those we cherish most, those who offer us raucous comfort and love. To those we love unconditionally," Cruger turns to Kat with his raised glass and places a paw on her shoulder, squeezing it, as the only sign of affection he can offer in the moment. "To us!"

"To us!" the rangers cheer, raising their glasses. Cruger makes damn fine speeches, and they can enjoy it now that they're not drinking gutter water.

"To us," Kat joins in quieter, taking a graceful sip of wine and watching Doggie sit again. She clinks her glass to his, he frequency resonating in both their ears. She leans in and kisses his cheek, "to us, as those we love, and cherish unconditionally."

"To us," he agrees, giving her a subtle nuzzling.

So, they sit on the wheely chairs in Kat's lab, enjoying a Thanksgiving feast. The dishes sit precariously along the desks and consoles. Stories are traded and raucous laughter can be heard all around. At one point, milk shoots from Jack's nose, hitting Bridge's toast. The two present a comical incident until Kat calmly gets Jack more milk and has RIC make Bridge more toast. She misses feeling maternal, sometimes. Z enjoys her food, trading discussions with Syd and Sky. Sky has loosened up considerably, enjoying the feeling of a family event. Syd is enjoying herself, despite not being in the lap of luxury, and consistently laughs with her mouth full of food.

"Thank you," Kat lays her head on Doggie's shoulder for a moment.

"For what?" he asks.

"Just...thank you," she sighs lovingly, "and Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Katherine," he nuzzles back.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Jack toasts to his friends with his fresh milk.

"Happy Thanksgiving!"


	18. Cranky

_Cats and Dogs – Cranky_

There's one week in every year when everyone at SPD command knows NOT TO IRRITATE KAT MANX. It happens once a year, around the same time, usually in early November. During this one week, Commander Doggie Cruger is sent up to Supreme Command to convene with Birdy and the other "overstuffed animals", as Doggie likes to call them. While he's up there, Kat is down on earth, making sure things run as smoothly as possible.

Let's not be mistaken: things are immaculate under Kat's command. Things work efficiently and with the utmost practicality. It might work better than when Commander Cruger is there (no one says this for the same reason being he is a scary man–dog) but that's not important. Despite the fact that most sensible cadets are scared of Commander Cruger, they're usually the most terrified of Kat Manx.

Kat rolls through the halls like a small hurricane during this week. She doesn't smile, doesn't laugh, doesn't stop working, and doesn't take crap. Her sole goal in this week is to have things in tip–top shape when Cruger comes back. The cadets' goal in this week is to keep Dr. Manx pleased so they won't get eaten (by either her, or the Commander).

Boom quadruple checks his work in this week, never doing anything without Kat's supervision, unless she seems tired, in which case he eats a cheese sandwich in the lounge. He stays out of her way, makes sure the consoles and beakers are clean and touches as little as possible!

Even Kat's beloved B–Squad knows better than to rub her fur the wrong way this week. They greet her with bright smiles, and they come the closest to getting smiles in return. They don't actually get one, but they do get a promising twitch of her lips in the right direction. For the most part, they really try to make her job easier, keep the newbs out of her hair, and some other things. Bridge and Jack usually bring her food; as they've been told by Boom, if they didn't bring her food, she wouldn't eat. Sky writes his best reports, organizing them beyond necessity and submits them for her. Z makes an extra effort to make sure the path between Kat's lab and the supervisors' lounge (really, the only other place she goes in _the_ week) is clear. Syd brings Kat little things, like her favorite soda, or makes her coffee, or sometimes offers to lend her hand to experiments. She thought of offering a massage one time but Boom assured her that the Commander is the only one to ever massage Kat and live through it.

"Boom!"

"Yes, Kat!" Boom snaps to attention, on edge. Kat's voice is edgy, even for the week she's having. This can't be good.

"Go get B–Squad," the brunette's tone leaves no room for arguments, not that Boom would dare.

"Yes, Kat!"

Kat takes a sip of what she thinks is coffee and keeps working. This is what gets her through this week: her work. If she didn't make sure she had plenty to work on in this week she might go crazy. As much as she loves SPD, and as easy as it is to reign in the cadets even on Cruger's away week, she goes a little crazy. Something about Cruger's absence sets her off horribly, and she ends up hyper–vigilant and testy all week. Her patience just dissipates and any and all attempts to quell her temper usually end in massacre. Just the other day, one poor cadet whispered to his friends that "Dr. Manx needs to chill" while she was still within 25 feet of him. He is still on dumpster duty, helping Piggy sort through possible intel. ie. garbage, downtown.

Her eyes go over the same sentence again and again; she's exhausted. There's no other word for it, and she can't resist it anymore. The odd hour or two of sleep she snags while Boom is out of the lab isn't enough for even her advanced system, and it's wearing her down. Her eyes are heavy, her body is tired, and worst of all her mind is suffering. She has lost her perfect cognitive function and now sees muddled words where there were once clear cut sentences. She can't sleep, though; she has the worst time trying to sleep in this week because she keeps waking from awful nightmares, expecting to be in a cell on Grumm's ship.

B–Squad files in sharply, standing crisply at attention. "B–Squad reporting, ma'am!"

"At ease, cadets," Kat sighs.

B–Squad looks up at Kat, worried to hear the exhaustion in her voice. It's unusual to hear such tiredness in her voice normally, but during this week, it's unheard of. They look closely, finding the Felina massaging her pinched forehead. The purple at the corners of her eyes is almost imperceptible, but it's there. Sky clears his throat first. "Dr. Manx, is everything running smoothly for you?"

"Yes, everything's fine, Sky," again, Kat's tone dances directly on the line of authoritative and annoyed. "What time is it?"

"Seventeen hundred hours, ma'am," answers Sky.

"What day?"

This question startles the group, as it demonstrates just how far Kat has slipped into her protective cocoon of workaholism. When no one answers after a second she asks again, this time teetering closer to the annoyed spectrum of tones. Syd speaks up this time: "It's Thursday, ma'am."

Kat soaks in the words and breathes deliberately. She can smell the rangers, her lab, and the lingering scent of motor oil and...Boom. When she opens her eyes the lights are on but they create a cold effect in her current state. Her bones ache from the inside out with chills. The door is closed and there are only the power rangers there, with worried expressions. She smiles – actually full on smiles – at them in apology. "I'm sorry, rangers, for my temper. You—"

"We know this is a tough week for you, Kat." Z approaches in an easily disarming way.

At this simple olive branch extension Kat throws herself onto her chair with a loud sigh. "I don't know why, but this week always takes its toll on me."

"We know, and we wish we could help you more," Syd goes to Kat naturally and gives her shoulders a light hug.

"This only started about 25 years ago, but it's such an ordeal," Kat pinches the bridge of her nose. "It shouldn't affect me this much."

"Kat, you don't have to be large and in charge all the time," when Jack receives a withering glare he rephrases, "that is to say it's all right to admit you're tired, and stressed. Everyone has something that helps them cope with stuff, and do you know what Cruger has that you don't?"

Kat shakes her head and everyone else frowns, waiting for where Jack's going with this.

"You—you're the thing that Cruger has to help him cope with this all the time. You keep him de–stressed and help his head stay on his shoulders. You're his rock, and he's yours, but when you don't have your rock, you're just...swimming, trying to keep your head above water for a week straight." Jack puts a gentle hand on Kat's shoulder and smiles gently.

Everyone is astounded at Jack's deepness. Z approaches and offers a fist bump. "That's deep, bro."

"Thank you, rangers. I honestly think you're the only reason I've been able to make it through this week all these years," Kat sighs, less discontented than a minute before.

"What did you do before us?" Bridge asks.

"Bridge!"

"What?"

"Well, Bridge," Kat starts, "I basically was about 20 times worse than I am now."

While the team tries to absorb what that could possibly be like, a beeping comes in on Kat's screen. When she sees who it is she gladly engages and turns the screen towards B–Squad. The group sees the caller and smiles collectively. "Commander Cruger!"

"You all seem a little too happy to see me; what's happening there?" Cruger frowns.

"Nothing, sir, Kat's been taking exceptional care of everything," Sky reassures the Sirian with a small smile.

"Yeah, we're just glad to see you, DC," Z puts in diplomatically.

"Where is Kat?" Cruger asks with confusion as to why Kat has not answered herself.

"Here, Doggie," Kat smiles as she turns the screen to face herself, voice lovely and light again. "How's Supreme Command?"

"Ough, Kat," Cruger shakes his head with disdain. "I cannot begin to tell you how much I miss you."

Kat turns a bit pink at the intensity of the sentiment. "I–I miss you too, Doggie. So, I take it things aren't going well?"

"They've been better," he supplies sarcastically. "I have had it up to here," he indicates with a big blue paw, "with Birdy."

"I can imagine; almost makes me glad I'm here instead," Kat laughs.

"No one's giving you any trouble there, are they?" Cruger asks in a deadly serious tone.

"No, no, Doggie, nothing like that. I'm just..." Kat rubs her tense forehead for what seems like the millionth time that day; "tired."

"Believe me, I know how difficult it can be to reign in everything there." Cruger looks at Kat with a deepness to his eyes she only sees in the most dire of times. "Don't let it get to you. If it weren't for you, _I_ would have quit long ago."

"That's such a lie," Kat shakes her head, but her smile only grows.

"Slightly, but you really are the only reason I'm able to handle that job all year 'round. What do you do when I'm not there?"

"Oh, well, I have," Kat looks over her shoulder to find the rangers have left, "I have our valiant power rangers here to help me." Cruger's silence and raises brows show that he doesn't believe her. "Plus, I'm pretty cranky the entire time you're gone," she admits.

"That's what I was looking for. You know, there's a reason I'm known as the 'Serious Sirian', Kat. This job wears on you. I don't want it tearing you up, inside or out, got it? I'm sure you've plunged yourself into a workaholic streak so bad you don't really know what day it is, but I'm ending it!"

Kat's ears fold back against her skull, showing her bashfulness at Doggie's all–too accurate description of her week. "Don't worry, Doggie, you'll be back tomorrow, and this doesn't have to happen again until next year."

"Actually, Kat, I'm coming back tonight," Doggie declares, clearly having just made the decision. "I should be there around nineteen hundred."

"Doggie, you can't just leave an SC summit meeting," Kat scolds. "I can hold down the fort for another day."

"I don't care, Katherine. No one has listened to a word I've said, anyway, and at the rate Ambassador Slothangaru speaks I'd be here until Christmas. I'm coming home tonight, but when I get there, I want to see you rested and relaxed, understood, Dr. Manx?"

Kat rolls her eyes but is smiling from ear to ear, starting to glow from within for the first time in four days. "Yes, sir, Commander Cruger. Any particular means of relaxation you want me to cover, sir?"

"Very funny, Kat," Doggie snarks warmly. "I mean it: rest up and relax, BEFORE I GET BACK."

"Okay, Doggie," Kat looks at his image seriously, with large, bright eyes. "I have missed you... "

"I have missed you too, Katherine," Doggie returns with overwhelming warmth in his voice. He is the only one to call her Katherine, and only between the two of them in the most intimate of moments. It's his best term of endearment for her, being a sign of how he adores her unconditionally. "Rest."

Kat nods and waves. He waves back and signs off. She sighs and leans back, settling into the first satisfactory nap she's had in days.

Cruger arrives about two hours later, right on time. Everyone is glad to see him back, and reports on Kat's stellar commanding ability. He gives them a solemn nod of approval and sends them on their way. He could honestly see himself handing Kat the command center permanently if he retires in the next few centuries or so, but he knows her place is in the lab.

He walks steadily to Kat's lab, knowing very well that even if she did heed his order to relax, she would do it in her lab with her feet up and reading a scientific journal. The woman works too hard... When he enters he's greeted with a pleasant surprise. Kat is sitting back in her chair, head lilting to the side. A blanket has been thrown over her, most likely by Boom. She purrs in her sleep, finally looking relaxed.

"Welcome back, sir," Boom greets in a whisper.

"Well done, Boom, thank you," they know that when Cruger says this he means the blanket on Kat and more. Boom just nods and ducks out of the lab. Cruger picks Kat's feather light body up with the blanket and carries her to her proper bed. "Sleep tight, Kitten."

On his way out he almost misses it, but he catches the faint whisper: "Glad you're back."


	19. Missing Part 1

_Cats and Dogs – Missing_

It has been exactly one month today since the disappearance of SPD Commander Anubis Cruger. His ship, sent on mission to retrieve possible intelligence from the wreckage of Sirius, lost contact. All search parties have been ordered to retreat as of today, at eighteen hundred hours.

Now, those closest to Cruger – the B–Squad power rangers and Dr. Katherine Manx – sit at a round table, in conference with the soldier in charge of Cruger's recovery mission, Supreme Commander Birdy, and a SC hired attorney. No one is happy. The rangers are solemn, and slightly angry, but Dr. Manx is immovable.

"Dr. Manx, please—"

"Don't lecture me on protocol, sergeant!" her steady voice, hardened by grief, bounces around the room loudly. Everybody winces at the venom in it. "I understand that you have to give up the main party searches but that does not mean you can decide that he is dead!"

"We have had no signs of life in a month, Doctor, that means that—"

"Have you even been looking in the right places? Do you know where he would be if he were stranded? Do you know where he would go after a crash?" Kat's voice rises as she continues and soon she is standing, fist pounded into the table to the point of denting the steel. Her eyes no longer sparkle but are a dull, steely grey/green. There is no life in her anymore, it died with the news of Doggie Cruger's disappearance. "You're all nothing but useless idiots being used by the puppet master known as Supreme Command!"

"Please calm yourself, Dr. Manx," Birdy presses on. He and Cruger weren't the best of friends but he's not jumping for joy over the latest development. Not only did he have the duty of telling his rangers, but also looking into the frigid eyes of who was once Katherine Manx.

"Go to hell, Birdy!" Kat swipes at his outstretched hand with her claws. "All of you!—you're giving up on him! He's out there, alive, and you're just sitting here saying he's dead!"

"Kat," Sky speaks up timidly, afraid of her wrath and sorrowful. He and the rangers, just as stubborn as anyone, have accepted things. They have mourned, even holding onto hope far longer than anyone besides Kat. Even they, however, have acknowledged that Cruger has no hope of return. They have given up. "I...I'm sorry, h–he...he's gone."

Kat turns to her tearful rangers. They continued to search with the SC search parties up until a week ago. They were hopeful, and stubborn, and as determined as her that he was alive. They had worked tirelessly but even their candles had burned out. She looks at them with love, tenderness, and defiance. "No, Sky, he's not."

"Ms. Manx," begins the attorney.

"He's not!" she repeats angrily at the avian alien.

The old, feathered thing waits a moment before straightening his eyes and clearing his throat. "Ms. Manx, as Commander Cruger's executrix, you have control in this situation. You are named in all of his documentation and his will. We need your cooperation in this. He would want you to help us with this."

Kat stops and turns to him with such darkly powerful eyes everyone holds their breath. They're still, and affect the man in a metaphysical sense, as he feels his heart stop. Her fangs peek out of her lips and her eyebrows tilt to a degree that only enhances her frightening expression. "What did you say?"

The man stutters, "I–we–well, I was—"

"How _dare YOU_!" Kat begins hissing in uncontrollable anger, hair standing on end and ears perked at a worrying angle. Her pupils become threatening slits. The color of her irises has gone from sparkling emerald to a deadly dark green. She approaches the man, who ducks behind the sergeant for protection. The larger male alien, skin like a jellyfish's, holds back Kat. Soon, though, her rage is all encompassing, and the rangers also join in trying to hold her back. Her claws are fully extended and they swear she is ready for blood. "How dare you say that! You have the audacity to be speaking for a man who's not dead! You know nothing about him!—you know nothing!"

"Kat, let it go!" Jack orders, holding her shoulders.

"Get off me! All of you, back off! If you all think he's dead then you're no better to me than them!" Kat throws the rangers back with all her strength. As she turns back towards Birdy and his cronies they stand ready. However, she throws them all away without hesitation. She grabs the tentacle of the sergeant and brings his noseless face close. "Back. Off."

"I can't do that, ma'am," it garbles, but she can sense the fear in its voice.

"Useless," she hisses before throwing him solidly against the wall. His head hits the steel and she grabs his collar forcefully. "Where was Commander Cruger's ship, last?"

"I can't—"

Kat presses her clawed hand to his trachea and lowers her voice menacingly. "You tell me where Cruger was last or I'll give you a new meaning to dishonorable discharge."

"Last coordinates...came from directly over Sirius...then some Troobian drones came out of nowhere and shot it down." Kat grips the sergeant tighter, urging him to wrap it up. "We've searched Sirirus top to bottom and couldn't find a thing."

Kat looks at him for a moment before throwing him back again. "You really are as stupid as I thought." As she heads for the door Birdy tries to stop her but she glares at him, "you idiots have been looking in the wrong place for a month! If Cruger is dead because of your mistakes I'll come back and make sure your fate is much worse than his!"

"Kat, wait!" Jack pulls himself up and tries to catch her. "Cruger is not alive, Kat! You need to accept it and grieve!"

Kat turns and computer–locks the door before Jack can stop her. "Doggie is alive, Jack. When he crashed, he would have gone straight to the underground bunkers he personally designed around the days of the first Troobian emergence. He knew those things inside and out. If he went anywhere, it was underground, which I'm sure those idiots didn't think to check."

Soon, the other rangers have joined their leader, looking pleadingly at Kat. Z presses her hand to the glass, "Kat, think this through. You saw the wreckage—"

"There is no argument in this, Elizabeth," Kat says firmly. "I am going back. I will find Doggie, bring him back, and everything will be fine."

And with that, Katherine walks away. She goes down the hall to the hangars. She ignores Boom as he begs her not to go do anything rash. She ignores the cadets who watch her ominously. Once seated in the backup deployment ship meant for deep–space recovery, she takes off without looking back. There is one priority in this mission: to find and retrieve Commander Anubis Cruger. "Hang on, Doggie."

Katherine realizes how hopeless this is and how crazy she seems. She knows people think she's just a hopeless romantic in denial of his death, clinging to nothing but memories. They'll know, she thinks, that they were wrong when she brings their rightful leader back home.

"Dr. Manx, launching from hangar 1B; retrieval mission. I'll be back soon, with Cruger."


	20. Missing 2: Return

_Cats and Dogs – Return_

Kat arrives on the remainders of Sirius. Her heart adjusts itself to the atmosphere, slowing to half its average pace. Next, her equilibrium adjusts, and finally, her eyes. Her landing point is directly next to the marked off wreckage of Cruger's ship. The remainders of his ship are charred, torn, and generally in shambles. She has seen this all before, when they first reported Cruger's disappearance. She doesn't believe them—she doesn't believe he's gone.

Looking around, its two moons are orangish, bearing down on her harshly. She doesn't have the protective scales they do. She trudges on though, looking for the entrance to the tunnels Cruger told her about. He designed them himself just after the Troobian Empire started its campaign.

Kat first met Cruger when he arrived on her home planet just before its destruction. He was SPD, she was a bioengineer; he rescued her amongst the wreckage of her destroyed sector. He was valiant and honorable, she, a half–dead survivor of a massacre. He took her from her home and to earth, where she built her SPD career. He is the reason she is here now. She owes this to him. "Doggie!—Doggie, answer me, please!"

The wind and dust answers her.

"Anubis Doggie Cruger, you answer me!"

Kat sighs to herself, wasting precious oxygen. Soon enough, her lungs will start to feel compressed and, with prolonged exposure, she'll die of asphyxiation. Sirius is a conditioned planet, only the technology of atmosphere control allowing for visitors to stay safely. Now, everything is a barren waste land. "DOGGIE!"

She continues walking heavily, kicking pieces of blackened metal out of her path. There's no giving up, though, and she'll die looking for him if she has to. In fact, she has been planning on this for quite a while. Sky will do fine in their absence and she has hidden a cyber–will and testament in her files for Boom to find. Sweat pools around her speckles, the moonlight, merciless. She licks her lips and swallows thickly. "Cruger, get out here, you bastard!"

More silence answers her.

"Okay, I take back the bastard part," she growls, more and more tired by the second. Finally, she reaches the furthest reaches of the wreckage sight. Recovery detail has left behind the larger, unrecognizable pieces. Pft!—she never would have been so careless. Even Boom is more thorough than those morons. Some huge chunks are still more or less in tact, but blackened like the cookies Syd tried to make at Christmas.

"Bzzzz...this is SPD Commander Cruger...bzzzz...repor...bzzzzzzzz...underground, I will try again in one hour, repea...bzzzzzzz..."

Kat searches desperately for the transmission device. She coughs and spits as the effort grips her body but she keeps going. The sound comes from one of the blackened chunks of metal, more in tact than most. There's no way for her to answer, the receiver having long melted to the body. Still, she hits the button until it moves independent of the shell. "Doggie!"

"Bzzz...zzz...zzzz...Crug...zzz..."

"Doggie, it's Kat! Where are you? Repeat: where are you?!"

"Bzzzz...zzz...direct..."

"Where, Doggie, where?!"

"Bzz...direct...under you..."

Kat looks around her on the ground, digging around for seams of a door. The dust rolls around and finally she finds the discernable line of the door. Using her claws, she digs it up. If she had Sirian claws – stronger, thicker, more durable – it would be easier. Still, she pulls and pulls, though. She has to reposition her claws and get her grip again several times. Blood begins to drip down her fingers from their tips, the claws being lifted and slowly torn off the fingers. Still, she doesn't stop. With one final scream of exertion she throws the door on its hinge. She can peer down the hole a fair distance, but her vision is blurring. "D–Doggie!"

"Kat!" comes a faint shout.

"Thank the earth Gods," Kat whispers as she starts down the staircase. She slides down a bit and reaches the bottom in no time. The tunnel is completely dark, but a Sirian could hear and smell their way around no problem. She perks her ears and her pupils dilate. "Doggie?"

Soon, a large figure appears at the end of the tunnel, in front of a light. It stands quite tall and large, with pointed ears at the top. It speaks: "Kat, is that you?"

Kat doesn't remember answering, but just running at the figure. She knows it's him as soon as she hears his rough breathing, smells his familiar scent and feels his comforting embrace. Tears flow out of her eyes, dehydrating her more. Her harried gasps are shushed by him. "Everyone thinks you're dead!"

"I know," he says in sympathy.

"They told me the ship crashed and that your body was gone!—some sergeant tried to make me sign the declaration of your death. Even the rangers didn't think you'd survived the crash. I've been waiting for some sign of life, for a whole damn month, you canine jerk!" Kat hits his chest halfheartedly. "What happened?"

Cruger leads her into the safe room he has set up. There's a radio, a heat lamp, a pile of blankets and a couple of cans of dried food. His charred commander's coat lies in the corner. "I'm glad you didn't get caught in the sandstorms. I think that's what sent the recovery teams away." When he looks up again Kat's face is dark and wrathful. "It's no one's fault, Kat."

Before he can fully finish the word she snaps, "they should have kept looking! They should have been more thorough—they should have found you!"

"Come here," Cruger gestures, sitting Kat atop his pile of blankets while he sits on a rock. "Kat, there's nothing you or anyone could have done. What's important is that you've found me. I didn't think anyone was coming back here. I've been trying that radio for three weeks, thinking someone would come back and hear me but they never did—been trying every hour on the hour."

"Doggie," Kat whispers, touching her shaky hands to his muzzle. She can't believe he's real and there. The image of him is almost surreal to her, she has missed seeing it every day so much.

As he touches her hand with his paw she sees how he has been surviving. His scales are still healing, some with scorch marks on them, others with deep gashes through the plating. One long scratch goes down the left of his muzzle and to his collar bone. Some of the scales are discolored horribly in bruises, some scales, torn off with new ones trying to regenerate in their place. One of his ears has a nick in the side of it. From the medical supplies in the corner she can gather he's been treating his own injuries. "How bad is it?" she asks.

"Better, with you here," he says earnestly, tenderly. He kisses her hand gently and nuzzles her. She purrs in return, weakly. The weakness in her is evident, and he looks at her, worried. "Kat, how long were you up there?"

"I don't care," she declares as she embraces him fully. She clings with desperation. "I don't give a damn about anything, so long as I have you back."


	21. Missing 3: Recovery

_Cats and Dogs – Recovery_

Cruger awakes in the SPD emergency room. His wounds have been bandaged and he feels better, if a bit tired. As he tries to sit up he finds his body screaming against the action. Looking to his right, he sees Kat Manx. "Kat...how..."

"Don't speak," she whispers delicately. Her hand glides over his cool scales lovingly. "Felix said it would be another few days before you were strong enough to be up and around."

"What about you?" he coughs, only to have Kat push a glass of water to his muzzle. She tips it so that he can drink it like a human and lap at it like a Sirian.

"I'm fine, I was only out there for a couple of hours," she murmurs, tone somewhere between sardonic and sarcastic. "_You_ were the one who was out there for weeks."

Kat helps him sit up and he looks at her with clear eyes. "What happened?"

"You passed out once I called for backup. The rangers and Felix came; you were in some awful shape when Felix did his first work up on you," she sighs, voice trembling. She can remember the image of Felix examining him so well, it's like a waking nightmare. "Felix guessed that during your month on Sirius you had become so dehydrated it's a miracle you're alive. The crash had done some pretty awful damage to your outer scales, so you'll be tender where the new ones are coming in. When we actually got you here you were talking nonsense. You said something about finding the 'zysnode'?"

Cruger looks abashed. "The Sirian word for watch is zysnode; I was worried about the watch you gave me in our first year on earth."

Kat smiles and pulls a vaguely recognizable hunk of watch out of her lab coat pocket. "I found it in the wreckage—thought it looked familiar." She smiles and giggles softly at his dissatisfied look. "I can get you a new one. I'd buy a million of them if I could have you back."

Cruger looks at her seriously and she's wistful again, face pinched in anxiety. "Kat, you can't keep doing this to yourself."

"I didn't know if you had died or not, and all I could..." she takes a moment to compose herself, "could think, was that..." Kat's breath hitches and a small whimper comes out. She swipes at her tears and forces herself to go on. "I didn't know...if I could ever see you again. I kept thinking...what if...what if 'see you later' was the last thing...I...got to say to you."

Cruger can do nothing but pat her hand with his paw as she sobs into his chest. "Kat, I'm so sorry, I wish this hadn't been so hard on you."

"You're sorry?!—I would have given anything to be in your place!" Kat sobs. "I just kept wishing it was me in that crash instead of you—"

"Look at me, Katherine," she does and he emphasizes, "I will not accept you feeling this way. I would not have you in my place, and I certainly will not let you blame yourself. If anything, you would have been stuck in that hell with me and I can't bear the thought of that. I won't watch you sit here agonizing over a hypothetical. If you were the one...I wouldn't be able to handle it."

Kat and Doggie sit together in silence for a bit, soaking up the love in the air. Every few minutes she'll smile at him so warmly he wishes he had a tail to wag. As she plays with his paw in her smaller hands he watches her, fascinated. He's enraptured by the beautiful genius playing with his paw in the simplest act of affection. Sometimes their eyes will meet and something breathtaking and unspoken passes through them. She will smile and he will too.

"Kat...Commander?" Bridge has been the one sent to knock timidly on the door, on the front lines and in the line of fire as tribute for the others. "May we come in?"

"Come on in, rangers," Kat invites warmly. As they file in shyly she smiles at them. "I'm sorry if I—"

"We're just glad to have you back," Z breathes out in a hug. The other soon group to agree. "Dr. Felix told us how Sirius' atmosphere is and all."

"I'm all right, thank you," Kat reassures.

"KAT!"

Boom rushes in and is about to wrap Kat in a bone–crushing bear hug until one firmly extended arm of Doggie Cruger makes him skid to a halt. He carefully leans over and gives her a more careful, gentle hug. "I was so worried!"

"Everything's going to be okay, Boom," Kat pats his back with an amused smile, feeling like a mother comforting her child over spilled milk.

"Commander Cruger, am I ever glad you're back," Boom says in earnest.

"Thank you, Boom, it's good to be back," Cruger nods.

"Yeah, man, DC, we thought you were done for," Jack says, cutting through the emotionally thick air, "no offense."

"We're sorry, for doubting you, sir, and for not continuing to search for your, like we should have," Sky speaks up, at attention, hanging his head in shame. "We should have listened to Dr. Manx."

"Nonsense, rangers, you took the evidence and I can't ask for more than that. I appreciate the work you put into my rescue and I wouldn't want all of you going to such extremes as Dr. Manx here," Cruger sneers/smiles at his old friend. "Crazy feline... "

"You wanna go, you stubborn, old dog?" Kat asks, making everyone laugh (though Doggie may not exactly understand that particular expression). "We're just glad you're back to boss us around and keep them under control."

Bridge looks perplexed at the thumb Kat tosses at them over her shoulder, while the rest of the team just smiles. Syd watches the Felina and Sirian interact and speaks up, "hey, guys, I'm kinda thirsty."

"Yeah, me too!" Z catches on and seconds the motion. "Commander, Kat, you want anything?"

"Nothing for me, but please bring a dish of stew for the Commander," Kat turns her warm gaze to Cruger, at which point it both becomes warmer and more stern, "stubborn mutt hasn't eaten anything since he got back."

"Neither have you, I doubt," he shoots back confidently.

"I've eaten!" she protests but as he waits for elaboration she deflates. "I had half of the cheese sandwich Boom left here for me."

"Bring her some stew as well, Cadet." Cruger nods as the rangers elbow–salute and exit. "Kat, you should be taking better care of yourself. Tell me you at least let Felix take a look at you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, he said I'd be fine in a few hours, whatever," she waves off. In actuality, Felix told her to be in bed, and even offered to let her be in the one next to Doggie's. She refused, however, to move from his side until she could see for herself that he was okay.

When the rangers come back with stew and hot chocolate they find their Commander Cruger and Doctor Katherine Manx asleep in his bed. He holds her protectively, arms firmly around her small frame. She is curled right into him, purring loudly.

Syd sets the food down and whispers, "we're glad to have you both back."


	22. Grief

_Grief_

Today is a hard day. It hasn't really started yet but it's already hard. Kat gets up, even though it's hard. She goes to work, even though it's hard. Even when Boom smiles at her it's hard to smile back. The whole damn day is hard, is going to be hard, and it will continue to be hard until it's tomorrow. Cruger can make things easier on her but everything' still hard.

"Commander Cruger, sir?" Bridge asks Cruger timidly.

Cruger looks down at the young man with a frightening gaze. "How can I help you, Cadet Carson?"

"Well, uh, sir," Bridge fidget with his black gloved hands, "we were wondering if Kat's, um...okay."

Cruger inhales patiently and braces himself for the upcoming discussion. "Cadets, if you must know, Kat is not _okay_ today. This is the one day she cannot be, therefor, you will not ask anything of her, you will not bother her."

"What's so bad, sir?" Syd asks softly. "Whatever it is, we just want to help her."

Cruger relaxes a bit but his expression becomes sad as he does. "Kat comes from the branched star planet Felis XYKappa, not far from Sirius. Almost fifty years ago, the Troobians' campaign of destruction reached our sector. Her planet, her home, her family...were destroyed."

Z cringes despite not being able to imagine the magnitude of things. "She lost..."

"Everything," Cruger finishes, unconsciously parroting the word Kat uses to describe his own tragic story. "She makes a point of keeping this from people, but when her planet was destroyed she lost her husband...and unborn son."

Soft gasps are heard and Syd covers her mouth in horror. She swallows some tears down and tries, softly, "Kat's..." there's no end to her sentence.

"There is nothing more to the matter. You will not mention this to her, keep it to yourselves, and let her be, understood?"

"Of course, sir," Jack and Sky trade serious nods in an unspoken plan to make sure other cadets know to leave her be as well. Bridge searches for a way to ease the tension but there is none. Syd and Z try to blink the tears from their eyelashes.

"Good, dismissed," Cruger nods to them. When they've gone he walks slowly to the cafeteria. As he predicted, Kat is in line, silent, head bowed slightly. She receives two tuna salad sandwiches and a glass of milk. She takes them silently. She leaves the cafeteria.

In her lab, Kat sits at a round table, set with a table cloth and two places. She sits at one, with one tuna sandwich, and sets the other sandwich across from her. To her right, slightly out of her reach, the glass of milk is set. By the glass of milk sits a birth stone – the earth gem garnet – and by the sandwich opposite Kat, sits a wedding band. Kat herself pulls her own ring out, holding a gem exclusively found on Felis XYKappa.

Katherine leans back in her chair heavily, sighing. She takes a bite of the sandwich, trying not to cry and vomit from the grief crushing her entire being. It never gets easier. "So, how was your day?"

The other sandwich doesn't answer.

"Yeah, mine too," Kat agrees flatly. She forces herself to take a second bite of the sandwich. It's too cold. It is Sunday, though, and they would always have dinner on sundays. He would force her to finish because she was "too thin to be carrying their kit by herself". In a dark moment of humor she thinks about the irony of the wasted breath on the statement. Still, she supposes it's merciful, in a way, that she was only carrying the one when it happened.

Katherine looks at the glass of milk to her right. It sits untouched. The birth stone sits, gleaming in the candlelight. It mocks her in its silence, where her son should be sitting. The son she was going to name Alexander, who could have had her husband's eyes and her face. Her husband would feel the smallest kicks and say that the youngling had his mother's brains. She looks back at the other sandwich. "It's pretty unfair...though I guess I say that every year. You can't deny it, though."

The sandwich still can't answer.

"Of course you can't," she spits bitterly. "I still don't know why it was me. Why I lived, while everyone else perished–while my son missed his chance at life. I still don't know and you still can't tell me, can you, Nathan? This is...ridiculous. You used to make fun of me for how often I used that word. Well, its Felinae equivalent...sorry I don't really speak in our tongue anymore...just gotten used to English so much it seems weird. Besides, you would be the only one besides Doggie to understand me."

Katherine stops. She tries not to mention Doggie on this day – it feels wrong, like she's betraying Nathan in some way – but he always comes up, without fail. "Sorry...I know you'd say for me to move on and live for you. You're...you _were_ that kind of man. You were a good man, but that doesn't make this any easier. In fact, it makes it harder."

Katherine puts her sandwich down, even more disgusted with it than before; "but if you could just give me a sign, or something... " She waits, but no such sign comes. It's depressing. She leans back again, more forcefully this time. "Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say."

The candle she lit goes out, by no discernable source. Kat frowns and perks her ears for the first time today. "Really?" The sandwich still doesn't answer but Kat feels better for some reason. "Thank you, Nathan...I love you. I love you, and miss you with all my heart. I also know that if you were still here you'd be telling me to get back on my feet. You would tell me that after almost fifty years I should give myself a break, stop blaming myself, start moving on a little further. You'd say that I don't have to stop grieving but that if I don't move forward I'll be stuck here forever. I'm sure you'd be furious to know I've been doing this for so long. It is kind of grim, I'll give you that. I don't know what else to do, though. Sorry—I know you never liked having a huge deal made over you. I don't either. We had that in common...sometimes I catch myself thinking of what Alexander would have been like. I think about a lot of things; what if we had all survived? What if you came here, with me, while SPD was being built? Would you like it here? Would you like Doggie? Well, of course you would, you're both outstanding men and leaders, and my best friends."

Katherine wipes the tears from her cheeks. "I guess it isn't all that healthy for me to keep doing this. What should I do instead, though?" She looks at the candle again, for another answer.

"Kat?"

Katherine turns to the door. Doggie Cruger stands just outside the frame, in the hall. "Doggie?"

"I wanted to leave you alone for this, but...I need to know that...you're okay."

Kat truly smiles for the first time today and hugs him silently, tears falling. "Thank you."

Cruger can only rub her back, hoping to ease some of the grief he knows can't leave her. He also lost his mate, but they had no pup—he has no son to mourn. "Katherine...I'm so sorry...I wish I could help."

"You do help. You make this easier...just by being you," Katherine sighs lovingly.


	23. Green Eyed

_Cats and Dogs – Green Eyed_

Kat nibbles the end of her pencil. Her fangs don't break through but leave several craters along its length. It's preposterous, she thinks to herself. Still, this doesn't stop her from standing at the door of her lab, staring out the window and bouncing her leg compulsively.

"So, that's the European SPD liaison? Where's she from?" Boom asks, oblivious to Kat's distress over the matter. He glances out the window to see a blond touching Cruger's shoulder.

"France."

Boom stops dead at the utterance. It's heavy enough to kill all other atmosphere in the room, making time itself stand still. He turns to the Felina. "What, uh, what's goin' on, Kat?"

"Nothing," she dead–pans, though the edge in her tone and the fire in her eyes defies so.

"Really, 'cause you don't look too happy to have her here," Boom murmurs before going off on his own.

Kat swoops out of the lab like a wind, ending up by the side of Cruger so quickly the blond has barely a moment to look put off. "Commander Cruger, how's everything going?"

"Well, thank you, Dr. Manx," he spares with a warm tone, always having time for Kat. "Lieutenant Ohara has been most helpful in updating our status overseas."

"I see," Kat offers a strained, fake smile at the blond, who returns the gesture.

Doggie is oblivious to how Kat and the blond turn their gazes on each other, eyes battling to the death. His senses do pick up Kat's vigilance, though. "Would you please join us, Dr. Manx, in our next status update with SPD Europe Base?"

"Of course, Commander," Kat smiles at him. He goes into the conference room, followed by Ohara, followed by Kat. Ohara spares an icy look over her shoulder at Kat, who glares passive–aggressively back. "Lieutenant... "

"Doctor," the taller woman mentions just as coldly, if not, more so. As Kat comes to rest by Cruger's side Ohara stations herself at Cruger's opposite side (maybe a little closer).

"Come in, SPD Europe Base," Cruger says. The screen flickers and soon they're greeted by the face of a lion on an upright body. "Commander Narnus, it's good to see you."

"And you, old friend," the more aged alien greets in a friendly voice. "How are things?"

"Good; Lieutenant Ohara has briefed me on Europe Base's status. It seems that the transport problems can be resolved easily," Cruger steps slightly back and Kat automatically knows it's her cue to approach. "Dr. Manx has developed a teleport system that keeps the molecular structure of the subject perfectly in tact."

"Well, that's quite impressive, young lady. I don't suppose we could borrow you sometime?—we have the best in the area—"

"You might have the best in the area, Narnus, but Dr. Manx is the best—period," Cruger smirks, taking pride in bragging over his top technician.

"Yes, I've known that since you both got your command center there running from the ground up," the old lion laughs heartily again. "How are you, Dr. Manx?"

"I am well, thank you, sir," Kat smiles at the old friend of hers and Cruger's. He was a Major when they came to earth in hopes of constructing a SPD base.

"That's good to hear, now tell me about these teleporting systems."

"With, respect, sir, I think our base is just fine without unauthorized personnel there," Ohara salutes and snaps to attention. Her gaze sneaking over to Kat is filled with resentment and something else.

"With respect to you, Lieutenant, you don't have the rank to tell me whether or not I am unauthorized," Kat meets, challenging the blonde's fiery green eyes with her own. Kat is technically a technician, but as Cruger's immediate replacement, she outranks the less–than–outstanding foreigner (with her wide shoulders and unfortunately dark lipstick).

"Ladies, please; Cruger, I would like the systems up and running as soon as possible. I could lend you my lieutenant in exchange for Dr. Manx," Narnus suggests.

"I'm happy to let her do as she pleases, really; if she has the time to spare, she can leave at her own convenience." Cruger, again, doesn't notice Kat's form bristling at Ohara's. "That being said, we would not require the exchange of Lieutenant Ohara's." Kat smirks to herself.

"Very well, then; how about it, Manx, y'ready for us?" Narnus asks with a riling smile. His overly large fangs hang out his furry muzzle.

"I'll have to make some arrangements here but I could be there as soon as tomorrow at twelve hundred hours, sir," Kat nods.

"Excellent, though, could I ask to see those morphers you developed? Activity has skyrocketed in our sector and we could use the reinforcement."

"Delta Base?" Kat asks the air. A computational noise responds. "Call the rangers to block B, conference room 12; repeat, conference room 12, block B, please" Kat says. The computer com in the wall responds to her voice and an announcement is made.

"Voice command built right into the base's system?—very impressive, Dr. Manx. Are you sure I can't tempt you over here?" Narnus smiles.

"Narnus, I don't think we made this conference call so you could try and steal my people," Cruger half–smiles–half–frowns at his old comrade. "Dr. Manx is not for sale."

"Darn," Narnus sighs and everyone laughs (minus Ohara).

"B–Squad, reporting, Commander, Dr. Manx," Jack reports officially. Sky had it drilled into him that a meeting with other bases required his best behavior. As tempting as it was to screw with him instead, Z reinforced the sentiment, for Cruger's sake.

"At ease, cadets," Kat greets fondly. "Commander Narnus would like a demonstration of your morphers." Kat turns to Cruger with one raised brow. He nods reluctantly; "I made a morpher especially for Commander Cruger, which he will demonstrate along with them."

Kat stands back while they transform, beaming with pride over her work and the users of her work. When they're transformed Narnus is appropriately speechless. Ohara, however, looks at them flatly, looking uninterested. At this, Kat tenses.

"Cruger, you didn't tell me even old farts like us could do this too!" Narnus exclaims excitedly.

"That's because _I_ am not an _old fart_, like you, you crazy, old lion," Cruger's smile is in his voice, unseen behind his visor.

"How does your head fit in there, ears and all?" asks Narnus.

"Dr. Manx is an expert, and converts the morphers to be custom made for the users, accommodating our strengths and weaknesses flawlessly," Cruger speaks with pride.

"I think the morphers are a good idea, sir, especially given the combat–practical..." Ohara's eyes go over Cruger's suit appreciatively, "...design."

Z and Syd see Kat through their visors, who is practically ready to tear right through Ohara piece by piece. They scuttle over to the older woman as subtly as possible. Z clears her throat, "Ahem...uh, Kat?" She gets an unsettled grunt in response. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kat growls, now crushing the pencil in her hands. Her digipad is also suffering, starting to spark in her grip. Soon it breaks, glitch noises and fried circuitry marking its death, though it could burst into flames and Kat wouldn't notice; she's too busy being furious at how Ohara looks at Cruger in his ranger suit.

"Really, 'cause I see a green eyed monster," Syd says in sing–song.

"Have you just noticed my eyes are green?" Kat asks dryly, not at all concerned over whether or not her rangers know her eye color.

"Your eyes are greener than usual," Syd points, "Miss–Jealous."

Kat's bristling form jumps now. "J–jea..." Kat rolls her eyes, "I am _so_ not jealous."

"Really?" Syd wishes Kat could see her expression properly.

"What..." Kat watches Ohara running her hands over the contours of Cruger's suit armor, just getting a little too close to where his muscle bulges through the micro–mesh. Her tone becomes a little testier: "What do I have to be jealous over?"

"Maybe because that French lady is checking out Cruger the way Jack checks out a ten pound steak?" Z suggests lightly, also wishing her expression could be seen properly.

"You two are drawing conclusions too quickly," as Ohara lets out an obviously fake giggle and puts her hand on Cruger's biceps Kat hisses quietly to herself. Her form is bristling again, hair and microscopic furs standing on end. "I am not _jealous_!"

If the way Kat hisses her useless denial is any indicator, it's more than enough for the two girls. Z shakes her head, "Y'know, Kat, for a genius, you're pretty transparent when you're jealous. I'm sure Cruger can hear you."

"Which is why I wish you would stop insisting on this..." Kat waves her hands around her face furiously, reflecting her frustration perfectly, "nonsense!"

"If we're so wrong, then why have you crushed your digipad with your bare hands?" Syd asks with a swerve of her head.

"That is not important!" Kat is properly disheveled now. "I don't care how that blond she–devil looks at Cruger! I don't care how she watches his ass, or how she laughs weird, or how she touches him _all _the _damn TIME!_"

The girls exchange looks as Kat continues to rant to herself in a hushed, hissing tone. She murmurs something about needing a new digipad and excuses herself. The girls exchange unseen looks of worry before turning as Cruger addresses them: "Ranger, you may resume your posts."

"Sir!" they chorus, elbow–saluting dutifully before filing out, passing Kat in the doorway.

"Dr. Manx, if you could, I'd like to see about getting some of those for our forces here. I wouldn't ask you to design new ones for us, but to at least demonstrate the technology for our scientists," Narnus suggests.

"No offense, Narnus, but I'm not confident your scientists will be able to," Cruger looks at Kat, "understand, the technology of Dr. Manx's design."

"Then she'll just have to come design them herself," Narnus laughs. "See you then!"

"Goodbye, sir," Kat nods respectfully. Once he's signed out she sighs, "I guess I should start packing. I might have to take Sophie, to help the EB technicians along."

"That's doable," Cruger says as he demorphs. He looks to Ohara, who looks anticipatory until he excuses her. Then, he looks at Kat with a smirk. "So, you're not jealous at all?"

Kat blushes fiercely and looks at her new digipad; "...she didn't have to be all over you."

Cruger chuckles and nuzzles her hair in affection. "Green is a good color on you."

"My eyes have always been green," she pouts cutely.

"Beautifully so, Katherine. Today, more green than normal, hm?"


	24. Code

_Cats and Dogs – Code_

"Red October, standing by."

"Green Bean, standing by."

"Pink Panther, standing by."

"Yellow Fever, standing by."

...

"Say it, Sky," Syd orders into her headset.

"No," is his response.

"Come on, man, just do it," Jack probes, knowing Sky can't see the smile on his face.

"No!"

"Green Bean, here," Bridge comes in with a Mr. Spock voice. "I'm...reminding you...Sky, that...resistence, is...futile."

"Just do it, Sky," Z sighs, "so we can all get this over with."

"Fine," Sky grumbles, "...Blue Boy, standing by."

"'Atta boy!" Jack laughs happily.

"We're clear on this end. Sirius Black, come in; come in, Sirius Black, we're clear, sir," Jack reports.

"Sirius Black, here," Cruger growls, clearly no more enthused with the names than Sky. "Who is Sirius Black, again, Cadet Drew?"

"He's—"

"Don't bother, Syd, it's no good," Kat laughs.

"Why am I him, then?" Cruger asks, still confused.

"You're from Sirius, and you're the _Shadow_ Ranger?—no duh, sir," Syd rolls her eyes.

"KitKat reporting from Cat's Cradle, you are clear for the sector," says Kat.

"Tell me, again, why we let them make this ridiculous code?" Cruger asks tiredly, looking to Kat, by his side, amused.

"Oh, just go with it. We needed a code anyway so why not let them have some fun with it?" Kat shrugs, putting her headset around her neck like him. "Got a problem with being Sirius Black?"

"It makes me sound...dark," Cruger frowns.

"Well, I think it sounds kind of cool," Kat gives him a shy smile. "At least you're not a candy bar."

"I rather like KitKat," Cruger smirks at her and she blushes at the comment.

Kat looks at him with happily flushed cheeks. Her smile continues to grow until it just about splits her cheeks. A fang gently grazes her glossed lip. "KitKat to Sirius Black?"

"Sirius Black, here," he smiles back.

"The cat is out of the bag," she raises her brows.

"The den is unoccupied," Cruger raises his brows in return.

"The pups are out," Kat continues. She sets her headset down and swings her hips over to him, flushed and smiling slyly. "I could use some time alone with my trusty guard dog."

"I would love some sugar," Cruger concedes as he brings her into his arms. His nose dots along her skin as he peppers kisses over her speckles then down her neck.

"You are a bad dog," Kat whispers out, short of breath.

"You guys know the headsets are still on...?"


	25. Different

_Different_

When Doggie Cruger arrives back after three months in space, things are...different.

He's different, he guesses. Birdy assigned him to be an interplanetary delegate for the survivors they found of the Troobian campaign. One little nagging in his mind told him it could be Isinia. Another part knew it was a hopeless little flight of fancy. Still, he was able to at least confirm that she died about twelve years ago. He had found the closure he never really got before.

Now, though, as he walks through his base, he feels like a stranger, and an unwelcome one at that. The air is heavy, and while he hasn't caught any weird looks his way, he feels something has shifted in his absence.

"Commander?"

Cruger turns around to see Z, in her usual yellow cadet's uniform. Her eyes seem apprehensive, and her body language is defensive. "Hello, Cadet, how are you?"

"Well, sir, and you?" when she asks her tone is flat.

His ears perk and he frowns. "Well, thank you, Z. Can you tell me what has happened?"

"What do you mean?" she asks with a slight shrug.

Doggie can hear the most minute increase of her heartbeat and knows something has set her off. "Things seem...off. Would you know anything about that?"

"Hey, Z, Kat's done with her checkup so—"

"Cadet Drew," Doggie addresses Syd, though her reaction to him is more frightened surprise than anything.

"Commander Cruger, welcome back, sir," she nods with her hands behind her back, though her eyes are apprehensive like Z's. She gives off the same standoffish waves.

"What's wrong with Kat?" Doggie asks, concerned as to why Syd would know Kat had a doctor's appointment, let alone be with her for it.

"Nothing, sir," Z answers first, Syd looking around, unsure.

"I'm going to find her," he turns without further ado. He's aware of Z and Syd following him, like guard dogs making sure he doesn't get close to their martyr. "Can I help you with something further, Cadets?"

"No, sir," they answer together, still following him, still firm in demeanor.

"Commander Cruger?" Bridge spins around, head first, then body, with a sandwich in one hand. He's less agitated seeming than the girls, but still, he's not entirely himself; he's different. Something that jumps out at Doggie is that he wears only one glove. "When did you return, sir?"

"Shortly ago," Cruger nods, still looking at his ungloved left hand. "I'm looking for Kat."

In a second, Bridge shifts to a cooler demeanor, more befitting of his blue ranger predecessor, Sky. "I see, sir, but I believe Kat's very busy."

"I shall see for myself, Cadet," Doggie turns and continues on, only more irritated by Bridge's behavior. He knows Bridge is reading his aura.

"Commander Cruger," Sky stands outside of the office. He wears his red cadet uniform, standing at attention. His face is hardened and he seems downright defensive. "I heard of your return. Did you find what you were looking for, sir?"

Doggie regards Sky harshly, checking him for tells. There's nothing though, except the general air that he has offended Sky in some way. The cadet's body language is defensive, protective, positioning himself at a ready stance. The kids behind him look the same. "I was able to speak with some survivors of the Troobian campaign. They're establishing various colonies and we have set up other liaisons to help us keep in touch with them." After another moment he tells them what he knows they really want to know. "I confirmed that my wife, Isinia, died approximately twelve years ago."

This seems to both put the rangers more at ease and make their backs come up further. He can sense them trading looks. Eventually, things come back to Sky, and his eyes drop, as if nodding to them. Cruger meets Sky's eyes and follows him to Kat's lab.

Even her lab is different. Everything is immaculate, like always, but the structuring is different. Kat's working space has expanded, and seems detached from the lab aesthetic. Boom's experimental area is neat and hazard free, which is different. The lighting has been changed from florescent to a source that offers as much light, but doesn't give off any chemical affects (the element comes from a planet in the Boranian sector). There's hand sanitizer on her desk, as well as tissues, an apple, an air filter, her computer, and a fresh lily sitting in a vase.

"Commander Cruger," Boom greets with the most grave face he can muster.

Doggie is now alarmed. "Boom, I'm looking for Kat."

"I know," he says heavily, letting the statement speak for itself: he's not going to disclose that information.

"She's not here," Jack phases himself through the wall. He seems different too, but in a reverse–progress kind of way. In his time with SPD, he had softened, become warmer. The Jack looking at Cruger now is dark and angry again.

"Is anyone going to tell me what has happened? I was worried as is when I was unable to contact Kat for three months, now you've given me the impression that something is wrong with her." He watches them as he speaks, for their reactions. When he finishes they're immovable, and still displeased. "Kat!"

Everyone looks confused as to why he has called her name at what can be considered a volume only slightly above normal. They trade confused looks until, before anyone can react, the door swishes open. Kat walks through them slowly, with a black dress on under her lab coat. She stands at the door, above the sunken in lab area. When she stops walking Sky and Jack stand by her sides, protectively. "Doggie, when did you get back?"

"Just a half hour ago," he says casually.

She seems different too. Her hair is a little longer than when he left. She seems tired. If anything, she seems to be the only one not upset at his return. "How'd it go? I heard about the colonies being set up. Did you find everything you needed?"

He watches her descend the stairs towards him gracefully, ignoring Sky and Jack. Boom bristles behind him but Kat's steady gaze pacifies him. "I found out Isnia died twelve years ago."

"I'm sorry," she means it, but it's different from the other times she has said it. "Doggie, I'm sure you want to know why our kids are glaring at you right now."

"It crossed my mind," he remarks snidely, looking around him and feeling on trial by ranger. They look down at him with frowns. What does assure him is that Kat doesn't seem to advocate their behavior.

"Guys, knock it off; Doggie's back, and this can be sorted out," Kat tries to pacify her kids. "Doggie, the rangers have been helping me for the past few months a great deal. Sky and Jack have been by my side all but twenty–four–seven, and when they're not, Boom is. Syd and Z have been making sure I take care of myself, vitamins, eating properly, and there's always one of them at my appointments with me. Bridge looks out for me when I'm not at the doctor. I told him he didn't have to, but he insists on having one hand ungloved at all times to check on things."

"Kat, what is happening?" Doggie's voice is so full of concern that even the frigid adolescents surrounding him soften a bit. "Please, what happened to you? I want to help."

"I'm pregnant," Kat sighs, having made her peace with it. She moves her hands to her torso, holding them so the bulge of the youngling may be seen. "I found out just after you left."

Cruger stares at the mild bulge of his child – his pup – growing inside the love of his life. They had shared a night or two after the defeat of Omni, in celebration, but they hadn't really talked about a relationship in any way. Not that he's opposed to it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kat looks around at her kids, all looking indecisive. She nods them off and they reluctantly drag themselves out to give them some privacy. Looking back at Doggie, she sees his own struggle with things. She came to peace with how things are.

When she found out, she hadn't known what to do. Doggie had already left and they had slept together all of twice. Thus, she enlisted the rangers' help, mostly to keep things a secret. Syd and Z took care of her, Bridge gave her daily, sometimes hourly, readings on the baby's aura. Sky and Jack had taken up a level of protectiveness that bordered on stifling but it was touching all the same. It made her feel a little less alone in all this.

Doggie's eyes show nothing but worry and regret. She knows how he is with self–blame and it burns in his eyes as plainly as his scales show on his face. His heart clenches at the loneliness that radiates off of her. "Kat...if I had known...I wish... "

"Never mind it, now, Anubis," Kat sits him down with her. "Things are...different now."

"That was my word for it," his eyes remain on his pup. He thinks how wrong it is, that he doesn't have the right to dote on it, as its father. "May I?"

"Of course, it's yours," she guides his shaking paw to it, feeling warmth spread through her at the sensation. The little one stirs at the recognizable presence. "It knows you."

"I've let you down," he sighs, speaking to both Kat and the youngling.

"You've done no such thing," Kat raises his muzzle to her eyes. "I made the choice not to tell you, which might not have been the best choice, but it was mine, nonetheless. The rangers might be a little bitter at the moment but things will clear up. I wasn't sure if you were coming back, and if you were, if it would...alone, or...I don't know."

Doggie and Kat both look ahead, though his paw remains on her bump. He feels his young one responding to him, which is comforting. When he found out Isinia had indeed died he felt grief, of course, but also relief at the closure. For years, he had wondered of the possibilities. A little against his will, he also thought of Kat. Maybe it was betraying his wife but he had her memory, and Kat is not a memory. He loves Kat, and has loved her, for years. He wishes he had told her before he left, properly. There was a whisper of it during love–making, but it was never addressed. "I love you."

"I love you too," she answers easily. This is the first moment she's had at ease in months.

"You'll marry me?—and not just because that's my pup, but," he pauses and looks into her dangerously green eyes, "because I love you. I wish things were different."

"They are different, but maybe it's not so bad," she looks at him sweetly. Ghosting a hand over his muzzle and to the back of his neck she smiles more genuinely than she has since before he left. "You're back, and that's all that matters now. I'll marry you and that's all that matters."

"I had a feeling things were different when I got back," he smiles softly.

"Different," Kat muses to herself, rubbing the baby with her hand and Doggie's paw.

"You're different," he says and she looks worried. "In a good way, I mean, Kat."

"Oh, good," she tries to scoff, but she blushes a bit. "You're different: you're a father."

"I guess I am," he kisses her lips tenderly, then the bulge of his pup.


	26. Moments

_Cats and Dogs – Moments_

"Seriously, Kat, go dance with him, or I will march you over there myself," Syd points with incentive. She has been dancing with Sky, if a bit stiffly, until now. Try as he might he cannot avoid stepping on her pink gown.

"Syd, hush," Kat says calmly in a maternal way, though heat begins to creep up her neck.

"Actually, Kat, I have to agree with Syd," Z puts in, also taking a break from dancing with Bridge, who can't understand how dress sizes work (try as he might talk his way through it).

"You girls are impossible," Kat scolds lightly, the heat still rising. Her hairstyle for the night doesn't offer her a veil behind which to hide as much as she might like. The pink starts to show in her cheeks. "Commander Cruger is busy."

"He is talking to Birdy, and I'm sure he'd be glad for the interruption even if he weren't totally in love with you," Syd smirks into her glass of punch at Kat's caught–out look.

"Actually, at this rate," Z looks onto Cruger, who looks bored to tears at Birdy's conversation, "I think he'd even be glad if Bridge asked him to dance."

The girls and Felina continue to watch until Cruger cuts Birdy off and offers a small, respectful bow on exit. He heads straight for them and smiles at Kat's increasingly flushed, breath taking face. "Evening, ladies, how are you liking the event?"

"It's wonderful, sir," Syd volunteers to speak first.

"Actually, Syd and I were just off to enjoy it some more," Z offers, dragging the blond away, who complains about not finishing her punch.

Cruger chuckles at his young cadets and looks back to Kat, who brushes some hair from her face. "So, how are you really liking it?"

"Honestly, it's not bad. That being said, I'm not the one who has to talk to Birdy and his overstuffed cohorts," she says to him with raised eyebrows in askance of how he's faring.

"I'm doing fine, though I could do without Birdy bragging about his 'many commendations' for things," Cruger sighs, shaking his large, blue head. "I see Boom is enjoying himself."

The two look to how Boom dances outlandishly for the occasion, especially in his plaid suit. Kat cringes in embarrassment and Cruger squeezes his eyes shut. Soon they're looking back at each other. Cruger's eyes are filled with questions while Kat's show fear, adoration and a titch of giddiness. He holds out a paw, "Katherine...?"

Kat takes his paw magisterially, eyes coquettish under her long, thick, dark lashes. As he leads her she moves just as gracefully, in her own essence of willow grace. They come to rest on the dance floor and they assume the formal positions they were taught. Although, for their own base, they're by far the oldest, for the rest of SPD present, they're quite young. Kat's nerves show until a nameless cadet bumps into her back, pushing her against Cruger's chest. She blushes furiously and tries to sputter an apology, though she's already purring.

He chuckles, and she can feel the rumbling deep through his solid chest. She rolls her lips and assumes the position again. Her head and hand rest against his chest, the other hand in his paw. He just looks down at her crown of dark auburn locks, ears aside. One paw rests against her tiny waist, just above the hip, protectively—possessively. He has seen the other males, cadets and officials alike, watching her with yearning eyes. When he broke away from conversation, the handsome human ambassador of SPD's European bases wanted to ask Kat to dance. Cruger shamelessly told him that she was his date for the evening. He smiles: damn right she's all his.


End file.
